Online Reporter
Mthokozisi Ncube
A 28-YEAR-OLD man, Joseph Phiri of Phiri Buyu Village in Lupane, has appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Ms Patience Madondo facing 14 counts of armed robbery linked to a violent spree that terrorised Mahatshula, Kings City, Buena Vista and Manningdale.
The court heard that Phiri operated with a gang of armed men who used machetes, axes and iron bars to force entry into homes during the early hours of the morning when families were asleep.
Prosecutor Owen Mugari told the court that the group would storm homes, assault occupants and demand cash and valuables.
In one Mahatshula East attack on May 9, the gang broke down a door with an axe and threatened resident Makhosi Msimango (39) with machetes before stealing US$2 000.
In another incident on April 21, the group allegedly used a claw bar to enter a home and stole a handbag containing US$150 and eight cellphones. Five phones were later recovered dumped in a yard.
At Kings City, another couple was assaulted with machetes and robbed of US$2 303 and R2 500. In Buena Vista, Bernard Mutandwa (54) was attacked and robbed of US$423 after being struck with machetes.
The court also heard that in some cases victims were injured when they resisted. A Kings City resident was struck twice on the head with a machete, with medical evidence presented in court.
Detectives later identified Phiri after surveillance footage captured the gang during one of the robberies. He was seen wearing a brown jacket and pink bucket hat, later recovered as evidence.
Phiri was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to May 27 while his alleged accomplices, Oscar Ndlovu, Paulos Hadebe and Jomuchomu, remain on the run.
But even as the accused appeared in the dock, fear still grips Mahatshula East as residents say they are tightening security after the violent robbery spree that turned the usually quiet Bulawayo suburb into a zone of sleepless nights, shattered windows and broken trust.
Families say life has not returned to normal even after partial arrests, with many still sleeping in fear, listening for footsteps, and reacting to every night sound as if danger is back at the gate.
The break-ins are now described as a four-night reign of terror that left children injured, homes violated and entire families traumatised.
Over four consecutive nights, masked men armed with axes, crowbars, bricks and metal objects stormed at least five homes in Mahatshula East, forcing their way through electric fences, razor wire and high perimeter walls before vanishing into nearby bushy areas.
Residents say the attacks happened shortly after midnight, when families are asleep and defenceless.
“They were moving like they knew exactly what they were doing,” a resident said.
“We are still not safe even after arrests.”
In one of the shocking incidents, a 12-year-old girl sustained an eye injury after she was allegedly struck during a violent home invasion.
In another, a resident was left bleeding after trying to resist attackers who smashed windows and forced entry.
One household was robbed of about US$2 000 after armed men allegedly shone torches into victims’ faces and threatened to kill them if they resisted.
Residents say the gang boasted that they were “well-known thieves” and warned victims that reporting them would make no difference.
“There is still fear because not everyone has been caught,” another resident said.
As court proceedings continue, Mahatshula residents say they are still living under shadowed nights, insisting that real peace will only return when all suspects are arrested and the suburb stops flinching at every sound after dark.
