Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku, Court Reporter
THREE women, two of them sisters to the Vumbunu brothers, who have been implicated in the famous US$4 million Ecobank heist appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate yet again facing armed robbery charges involving US$25 840.
Sekai Vumbunu, Georgina Vumbunu and Florence Chisiri appeared in court today before Bulawayo regional magistrate, Mr Archie Wochiwunga.
They only spoke to confirm their names and surnames and allegations they are facing.
The trio was remanded in custody until October 31. Georgina, who is wheelchair bound, pleaded with the magistrate to grant her bail stating that she has little children at home and there was no one to look after them.
However, the magistrate flatly told her that she was facing a serious crime and the courts have no jurisdiction to grant bail over such a crime.
Mr Wochiwunga then advised the trio to apply for bail at the Bulawayo High Court and that it is their legal right to enlist the services of a lawyer or to be self-actors.
The trio is being accused of playing a big part in an armed robbery case and are allegedly part of a wider criminal network operating in and around the city.
The State represented by Nomthandazo Mafu alleges that the Vumbunu sisters and their accomplice were illegal forex dealers. It is alleged that Sekai at times used to call herself Edith Dube so as to conceal her identity.
The court heard that on October 12, 2025, the trio reportedly supplied information to Nekimiya Dladla (38) and Simon Dube (28), who are suspects. Armed with guns, Dladla and Dube allegedly waylaid a woman (name withheld) while she was heading to Mossel House, a flat which is situated at corner 6
Avenue and Herbert Chitepo Street in Bulawayo.
They reportedly threatened to open fire at her before robbing her of US$1 630. They were not done yet as they combed through the bedroom and stumbled on US$23 160 and took two wedding rings valued at US$1 050.
The duo is linked to a series of armed robberies, including one at Nkolozi Investments, a bureau de change at the CIPF Building in Bulawayo, where robbers allegedly posed as clients before robbing the premises of US$18 000 and R151 000 in a daring early-morning raid last month.
They are also accused of robbing a patron of US$4 000 and R60 000 during another robbery at a restaurant at corner Fife Street and 12th Avenue on August 10, 2025.
Detectives from Homicide section meticulously carried out investigations, leading to the arrest of Dladla who later implicated Dube and the Vumbunu sisters, leading to their arrest.
The latest arrests have reignited public interest in the Vumbunu crime family, which gained national infamy after the capture of brothers Elijah and Abraham Vumbunu, dubbed the “terror twins”, for their alleged involvement in the US$4 million Ecobank heist in October last year.
The brothers, raised in a polygamous household in Bulawayo’s Mzilikazi suburb, have long been associated with organised crime, ranging from car-jacking to gold heists. Sources close to investigations say their criminal history dates back to the mid-1990s and that several members of their extended family have been implicated in similar offences.
The twins rose to prominence for their ruthlessness and ability to evade law enforcement. Their alleged high-profile crimes include the Mukuru money heist, the How Mine gold robbery, and a string of violent home invasions.
Abraham, who had recently been released from a 14-year prison sentence, allegedly re-joined his brother in planning the Ecobank heist, barely two weeks after his release.
The heist, carried out with “movie-style precision,” saw six armed men overpowering Safeguard security guards transporting cash before speeding off along 9th Avenue with trunks of money.
The brothers were later arrested in South Africa in a joint operation between the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and the South African Police Service (Saps) and are awaiting extradition.
