Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
POLICE in Beitbridge have dismantled a notorious robbery syndicate that had been terrorising motorists along the Beitbridge–Gwanda Road, arresting five suspects linked to at least eight violent crimes in the border town.
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) national spokesperson, Detective Inspector Rachel Muteweri, confirmed the arrest of Bornman Ziweni (37), Believe Shumba (40), David Ratsauka (31), Peter Chinhimbiti (25) and Delight Gwanyanya (33). The gang is also believed to be connected to two other cases in Mwenezi.
Between April and July this year, the suspects allegedly targeted slow-moving vehicles at detours along the busy highway — a vital trade and transport corridor linking Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Posing a serious threat to motorists, the gang would leap onto vehicles, sever hydraulic and fuel pipes to force them to stop, and then rob drivers of cash, valuables and in some cases, their vehicles.
“On 6 August 2025, police received information implicating Bornman Ziweni in the crimes. Detectives from CID Beitbridge acted swiftly, arresting him and subsequently apprehending his accomplices,” said Det Insp Muteweri.
Investigations uncovered several incidents, including one on May 10 at around 10 PM, where the gang robbed a Scania truck driver who had slowed down at a detour. On May 19, at approximately 9 PM, they barricaded the road at the Mazunga detour, forcing a truck to stop before robbing the driver of US$700, R2 000 and a mobile phone.
“On 15 June, the gang, posing as travellers, hired a taxi before robbing the driver of his vehicle and US$450. The car was later abandoned along the Beitbridge–Masvingo Road. On 17 June, using the same tactic, they robbed another taxi driver of his vehicle and R6 000, dumping the car in Dulibadzimu,” said Det Insp Muteweri.
The arrests come as a relief to motorists, who have long raised concerns about criminal gangs exploiting road construction detours in Matabeleland South to stage ambushes.
Police have urged anyone who may have been robbed under similar circumstances to approach CID Beitbridge, to identify recovered property.
In an unrelated incident, a 19-year-old Chikombedzi man, Liberty Sibanda, has been arrested for allegedly killing two people and injuring others during an all-night prayer vigil at Mashavele Village, Chief Gezani area in Chikombedzi, Chiredzi District, on August 3.
Det Insp Muteweri said the victims were warming themselves by a fire when Sibanda emerged from his room and stabbed one of them in the neck without warning.
“When two others attempted to intervene, he stabbed each once in the back, forcing them to retreat. They were treated and discharged from hospital,” she said.
One of the victims later succumbed to injuries sustained in the attack. Det Insp Muteweri appealed to communities to avoid violence and resolve disputes peacefully.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police continues to urge members of the public to refrain from the use of violence and to find amicable ways to resolve their differences,” she said.
