Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku
THREE women, including two sisters of the notorious Vumbunu brothers, appeared in Bulawayo court yesterday for a routine remand in an armed robbery case linked to US$25 840.
Sekai Vumbunu, Georgina Vumbunu and Florence Chisiri, all representing themselves, faced Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira. The State, through Siphiwe Mhlanga, told the court the matter was not yet ready for trial. The case was remanded to 14 November.
The trio is accused of being part of a wider criminal network operating in and around the city. Investigations indicate that on 12 October 2025, they allegedly provided information to suspects Nekimiya Dladla (38) and Simon Dube (28). Armed with guns, the two men reportedly waylaid a woman heading to Mosal House on the corner of 6th Avenue and Herbert Chitepo Street, threatening to open fire before robbing her of US$1 630.
The suspects then reportedly searched the bedroom and found a further US$23 160 and two wedding rings valued at US$1 050.
Dladla and Dube are linked to other armed robberies, including a raid on Nkolozi Investments, a bureau de change at the CIPF Building, where robbers posing as clients allegedly stole US$18 000 and R151 000 in a daring early-morning attack last month. They are also accused of robbing a restaurant patron of US$4 000 and R60 000 on 10 August 2025.
Homicide detectives’ investigations led to the arrest of Dladla, who implicated Dube and the Vumbunu sisters, resulting in their arrests.
The latest court appearances have reignited public interest in the Vumbunu crime family. Brothers Elijah and Abraham Vumbunu, dubbed the “terror twins,” gained notoriety after their alleged involvement in the US$4 million Ecobank heist last year. Raised in Bulawayo’s Mzilikazi suburb, the brothers have long been linked to organised crime including car-jackings, gold heists, and violent home invasions.
Abraham, recently released from a 14-year prison sentence, allegedly rejoined his brother in planning the Ecobank heist just two weeks after his release. The heist saw six armed men overpower Safeguard security guards transporting cash before speeding off with trunks of money. The brothers were later arrested in South Africa in a joint ZRP and SAPS operation and are awaiting extradition.
