Online Reporter
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
WHEN Abraham and Elijah Temayi Vumbunu were arrested in South Africa on 5 July, they were immediately dubbed as the “Terror Twins”, a name befitting of a pair of criminal masterminds that had waged a reign of terror on both sides of the Limpopo for over two decades.
Clean-shaven and with faces that barely betrayed any remorse, the Vumbunu brothers, who are reportedly inseparable, resembled a double-headed monster possessed of two criminal minds operating in perfect sync.
According to police records, the pair had been robbing and pillaging since the mid-90s, including the 2003 robbery at Mutare Parts Centre in Nyamakete, where they made off with $40 million in cash.
Last year, the two were said to have been integral in the execution of the movie-style US$4 million Ecobank heist in Bulawayo, a brazen robbery that brought the country to a standstill. As things stand, their charge sheet makes for a bone-chilling read.
The police say the pair is linked to several robberies countrywide, including the raid on a cash-in-transit vehicle transporting nearly 12kg of gold worth US$675 000 from How Mine to Fidelity Printers and Refiners in October 2022.
They are also suspected of robbing financial institutions, money transfer agents, wholesalers and grocery shops, among others, between May and October of 2023.
In Bulawayo alone, the gang reportedly made off with over US$858 000 and R508 000 in five raids within four months.
With such a daunting list of alleged past and present crimes against their names, the brothers’ fate now rests in the hands of the country’s judiciary.
Should they fail to avoid jail time, they might find themselves sharing a cell with their brother, Naison Vumbunu, who is currently serving a 62-year sentence for armed robbery and contravening the Firearms and Explosives Act.
The deeds of the Vumbunus, whose family members are alleged to have been involved in various illicit activities, ranging from petty theft and drug peddling to carjackings and armed robbery, have led some to question whether crime, like other legitimate and constructive talents, runs in the blood.
Some believe that when the spirit of crime seemingly possesses a family, it may be due to a malevolent spirit that hovers over a family.
“Yes, it is true, a spirit may target members of the same family,” said Edgar Dube, a traditional healer.
“In such instances, it is up to the elders in the family to chase away such a spirit because while it might belong to the family, not all spirits are there for their benefit. However, since crime brings money, some might just let the spirit linger on among their descendants because it brings the promise of a comfortable life.”
While the Vumbunus are now the talk of the country, they are not the only family that has terrorised Zimbabweans over the years. From time to time, a bloodline comes along that shocks and grabs the attention of the country with its astonishing criminal acts.
The Masendekes
The story of Zimbabwean crime is incomplete without the mention of Edgar Masendeke. Together with Stephen Chidhumo, they were once a thorn in the flesh of local law enforcement and a bedtime story that mothers told to terrify their children to sleep at night.
However, while Masendeke has always been linked to Chidhumo, as if they were Siamese twins, other members of his family continued his criminal ways long after he was executed.
In 2013, brothers Elson, Edward and Ernest were accused of murder after allegedly assaulting Jonathan Mpofu following a misunderstanding at a bar. Mpofu died on the spot from the assault. While Ernest and Edward went on the run, Elson was arrested and died five years later.
Edward was also arrested after he resurfaced to attend Elson’s funeral.
In 2017, another brother, Andrew, kidnapped a police officer and robbed him of his vehicle before embarking on a robbing spree around the country. The then 21-year-old Andrew, who was facing armed robbery, unlawful entry, carjacking and kidnapping charges, would later be sentenced to 26 years in prison.
In 2002, a headman in the village where the Masendeke siblings grew up said that the siblings were always violent in nature.
“The sons were good fighters,” he said. “They were chips off the old block as Edmund’s father was also one of the most feared men in this area and in Kwekwe where he had all sorts of businesses. Some of Masendeke’s sons were notorious for stealing. They broke into every home in the neighbourhood and stole from neighbours.”
In a 2013 interview, the mother of the brothers, Martha Masendeke said she knew that there was a curse in the family that drove her sons towards criminality.
“I think the family (Masendeke) is cursed. How else can one explain the recurrent problems that we always have? I believe strongly that the problems are caused by a curse in the family and only God has the answer to our woes. God will one day hear our prayers. I really do not know how to explain the nature of problems that we always have,” said Mrs Masendeke.
Mrs Masendeke said she had six children with her late husband Timothy, whom she married in 1980, but he had nine other children, including the notorious Edgar, with his first wife, bringing the total to 15 children.
The Muunganirwas
Like the Vumbunus, the Muunganirwa brothers from Njube are believed to be some of the most cunning criminals to emerge from Bulawayo.
Before the spike of armed robberies in the City of Kings, the Muunganirwa brothers terrorised Bulawayo, as they staged a series of robberies that left residents shocked and law enforcement officers scratching their heads.
However, the criminal lifestyle has not always been kind to the brothers, who have at times found themselves severely punished for their actions.
Isaac Muunganirwa, who was involved in a series of armed robberies and carjackings, was arrested in 2001. While serving a 24-year stretch, he was in 2015 convicted of three counts of attempted murder and sentenced to a further 10 years in prison. Isaac, who had a severe speech defect, had been arrested with two of his brothers, who were later acquitted. When he was arrested, he had been on the run for four years and his luck ran out while attending a funeral.
Isaac’s brother, Christopher, seemed to have lived and died by the gun, passing away after he was shot by police during a robbery in Botswana in 2006.
Meanwhile, Samuel Muunganirwa was also sentenced to an effective 23 years in prison after he was convicted of crimes that included robbery, armed robbery and robbery committed in aggravating circumstances. And with these families having been involved in criminal activities, one can easily run out of reason to reject the narrative that some of the curses run in the blood and may be spiritual than just deliberate.
