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A YOUNG woman, aged around 30, buried her face in her hands in shame as people jeered at her after being caught stealing groceries from a dingy shop in downtown Harare.
Instead of taking the rogue citizen to the police, the shop owner and his workers lashed her, smeared her with a mixture of cooking oil and flour, and let her go.
Sending her to the police, they said, was a waste of time as most shoplifters were either well-connected or always had cash on them to pay fines.
Shoplifting — also called “shop dambu”, “kusimudza”, “dambushto” or “njonjazi” — is conducted by organised syndicates of rogue elements. These characters actually leave wet towels at home every morning, like any other worker, and return at sunset with goods they will be selling at give-away prices.
Groups of shoplifters usually comprise self-styled prophets or traditional healers — who use juju to detect potential hits, evade arrest and weaken complainants.
They at times have drivers, henchmen and athletic young members who execute their operations at lightning speed. Shoplifters are usually members of the same family or close friends who perform rituals at the beginning of every year like brewing beer, killing oxen and bathing in muti.
Each time a group of shoplifters strikes, there will be a leader who follows up to ensure members are not brutalised when caught.
The leader also pays a fine on their behalf in the event that they are arrested. But beating up a shoplifter can be a recipe for disaster as other members of the group will seek revenge. As I commit pen to paper, gentle reader, most shops are now affixed with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to monitor “customers” who enter the shops.
Some have large concrete boulders or wood blocks at entrances to capture old-fashioned thieves who stash loot between their thighs.
Most shop owners do not usually entertain people who seek conversations with them as this is considered one of the most common tactics used to distract them.
“The world is coming to an end, my brother. Shoplifting is actually a specialised trade in which one does everything possible to ensure they are not detected.
“These people also use juju and once you catch them, you better just release them because, if you brutalise them, you end up closing shop since the guys are dangerous,” said a former classmate, who owns a shop in downtown Harare.
“The blokes are also very educated and know how to cover their backs. Some of them have muti to paralyse surveillance systems and can execute their operations at lightning speed.”
Some groups of shoplifters pay security guards and some underpaid workers to look the other side whenever they strike. They also use language that no one else except members of the group understand.
The teams have a list of do’s and don’ts, and yours truly was told that members are barred from engaging in sexual activities 24 hours before a hit. Similarly, they are not supposed to eat okra or food perceived to be of lowlifes.
It is difficult to fall in love with a gang member because they keep as a closed unit, with no intruders allowed.
Gentle reader, if there is a job one should never do, it is shoplifting because of the several risks involved. One can go to jail or risk being sjamboked and ridiculed.
Inotambika mughetto.
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