Online Reporter
Mthokozisi Ncube
TWO bushy hotspots on the outskirts of Bulawayo are fast earning a chilling reputation after four women were allegedly lured there by Strangers, robbed and or raped.
Recorded over a four-month period between February and June 2026, the incidents all confirmed by Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele- occurred at isolated areas behind the United College of Education (UCE) and near Mpilo Central Hospital.
They show a disturbing pattern in which unsuspecting victims, most of them stranded travellers or people seeking assistance, were tricked into trusting strangers before being led to the bushes where they were violated.
The most chilling case occurred on 8 June 2026, when a 22-year-old woman searching for a place to spend the night in the city was approached by a well-dressed stranger who promised to connect her with his relatives who he said could help her.
The man allegedly persuaded her to accompany him towards the Mpilo Hospital area before forcing her into an isolated bushy zone near SOS Children’s Village and UCE.
She was raped and robbed of cash and a cellphone valued at US$131 before eventually managing to seek help the following morning.
On 11 February 2026, a 28-year-old woman returning from Gokwe, after alighting at Renkini Bus Terminus, met a man who offered to help carry her luggage. Although she initially refused, the man persisted and accompanied her as she searched for transport.
After several failed attempts to find a vehicle, he convinced her that he had a car parked near UCE and could take her home.
The woman followed him through isolated paths near the college where she was later sexually violated.
Months later, on 12 May 2026, another traveller became a target in the same area.
The woman had arrived from Harare and was waiting for transport when she befriended a seemingly harmless female stranger who she told that she wanted to go to Botswana for shopping.
A male accomplice joined the woman and threatened the victim with a gun.
The woman fled but was later stopped by another man driving a black Honda Fit.
The man forced her into the car at gunpoint.
She saw the two other suspects already in the vehicle and they drove to a bushy area between SOS Children’s Village and UCE.
She was robbed of cash and valuables worth US$562 before being abandoned.
On 4 June 2026, a 41-year-old woman who had arrived in the city looking for transport to Luveve asked for directions near TM Hyper in the city centre.
She was approached by a stranger who claimed he knew where she could find transport. The pair walked towards Mpilo Central Hospital after he allegedly told her taxis could be found there.
Instead, the journey ended in a bushy area behind Mbuyazwe Flats in Mzilikazi.
There, the man produced a knife, threatened the woman and demanded her cellphone. When she resisted, he slapped her before fleeing with the device, leaving her injured and alone in the darkness.
The cellphone stolen was valued at R7 000.
The four incidents resulted in property worth at least US$693 and R7 000 being stolen.
So far, no arrests have been made in all the cases.
Insp Msebele warned members of the public against trusting strangers.
Inspector Msebele also urged members of the public to avoid travelling at night where possible, especially when unaccompanied and in unfamiliar areas where they do not know anyone.
She said police have since intensified investigations into the incidents.
Insp Msebele urged travellers, especially those arriving at night, to avoid walking with strangers and to use recognised transport operators whenever possible.
