Andrew
I felt pity seeing a woman in her early thirties burying her face in her hands as she wailed uncontrollably in downtown Harare.
The troubled woman, who had a child strapped on her back, was pondering her next move as people gathered around her in sympathy.
“Atambwa yakanunira, mudhorobha hazvidi hope,” some vendors who were nearby could be heard saying as they continued with their business as if nothing had happened. When she gained composure, the woman said she had been “offered” a job by some women reportedly to offload merchandise from a truck.
They made her surrender her phone and cash before making good their escape, leaving her stranded. Such are the happenings in downtown Harare, where unsuspecting people are being tricked into losing their valuables by cold-hearted thieves plying their trade in that dingy side of town. It is now even worse as we prepare for Christmas. With almost everyone awash with cash, the thieves want a share of the money.
As I commit pen to paper, gentle reader, it is now common to see someone crying in the middle of the big city after being duped. Yours truly is informed the thieves have a bag of tricks they use to wring cash out of people. Some of the thieves reportedly use muti to detect who has money before selecting a trick from their catalogue to get the cash. People, mostly the young and inexperienced, are usually lured with prospects of gaining more money before they are made to part with their valuables.
The biblical prophet Jeremiah wailed: “Oh Yahweh, why do the ways of the wicked prosper?”
A man is left with no option but to ask the same question.
Hordes of people are being left penniless because of the tricksters.
“I don’t feel pity for such people. Why do people want to make lots of money from nothing? The moment someone asks you to surrender your belongings, you should automatically sense that there is a catch to it.
“We may want to blame the police for not taking action, but at times we invite trouble for ourselves like lambs being led to slaughter by entertaining strangers,” one vendor by the name of Simbarashe Manimanzi told this writer.
“Ukarara unopepuka watambwa yakashisha,” he said, as he packed his flowers in Harare.
“These thieves are a menace. They are teaching people hard lessons. Some women are also being raped by these thieves, who promise them lots of money and also steal dignity from the people.
“This Christmas period is also notorious for bargains which the thieves take advantage of to make people part with their money. It’s a sad thing but people have to be vigilant at all times,” said Tellmore Nyakabau.
Gentle reader, the run-up to Christmas is a dangerous time that requires people to always approach deals and transactions with open eyes and open minds.
As I commit pen to paper, gentle reader, people of all age groups are being made to lose cash and other valuables to tricksters who have camped in the city. Never accept offers from strangers.
Some people have failed to bury deceased relatives after surrendering cash meant for coffins to conmen and conwomen in the city.
Some women have also lost their spouses’ earnings to these people who use sweet language and appear friendly yet they harbour evil intentions in their hearts.
“Mwanangu, mwanangu, mwanangu Tozivepi, Nhai Tozivepi, mwanangu Tozivepi,Ukaenda Harare, ngwarira mwanangu, zvigashira vaeni,
Purezha yemo huchi hwegonera,” sang the Great Zimbabwe All Stars in the classic hit “Tozivepi”.
True to the song, if you are not clever, you fall victim to challenges that come with city life like conmen, women of easy virtue and even disease.
Gentle reader, forewarned is forearmed. Take heed and trust no strangers.
Inotambika mughetto.
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Online Reporter