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BULAWAYO was gripped by fear this week after armed robbers struck two city supermarkets, walking away with more than US$7 000 in cash, foreign currency and at least six cellphones, leaving traumatised workers and shoppers staring at the ceiling long after the guns went silent.
In both robberies, the suspects used an eerily similar script, posing as ordinary customers before suddenly producing guns, sealing exits and stripping victims of cash, phones and dignity in minutes.
The most scary drama unfolded first at J. Temba Supermarket in Luveve on the evening of 1 February, when what appeared to be innocent last minute shopping turned into a gunpoint nightmare.
Supermarket manager Tinashe Mthethwa told B-Metro that the robbery began just as they were preparing to close.
“As we were about to close, two customers pleaded to be allowed in, claiming they were late shoppers. Once inside, they pretended to browse while a third accomplice was already in the store,” he said.
Moments later, the mask dropped.
“I noticed one of the customers acting suspiciously near the shelves. When I approached him, he produced a gun and pointed it at my head. Another moved to the door and closed it while the third began emptying the till,” said Mthethwa.
“I was in shock, even up to the following day, my eyes were wide open as if I had seen a ghost,” he said.
Customers trapped inside the shop were also targeted.
Shopper Alvin Chitura said the robbers took his phone and everything he had before firing a shot into the roof to silence any resistance.
“I was in shock for about 10 minutes. They even fired a shot into the roof, which really scared me, I couldn’t even bathe the next morning!” he said.
Another victim, Tendai Karekesa, said he had stepped in around 7PM to buy a few items when the armed gang forced him back inside.
“They shot into the air and told us to lie down. I was confused and terrified. They were communicating using walkie-talkies,” he said.
Karekesa lost US$450, R1 200 and his Samsung Note 20 Ultra. Some of the money belonged to a Stockvel Club and a friend who installs Starlink systems.
“They made me stand when they realised I had a lot of money. After they left, I started screaming, thieves, thieves,” he said.
Witnesses said the robbers were methodical, searching customers for phones, wallets and cash without vandalising the shop.
“They didn’t break anything but they were scary people. They spoke Shona and wore long sandals. I remember two of their faces clearly,” said Karekesa.
Mthethwa confirmed police responded swiftly.
“Multiple units have visited and extracted CCTV footage. They are studying it. For now, I feel somewhat safe though I am still traumatised,” he said, adding that four people were inside the supermarket during the robbery.
Before residents could recover, another armed robbery struck on February 4 at a shop at the Entumbane complex.
According to Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, who confirmed both incidents, four male suspects posed as customers before producing pistols and ordering everyone to lie down.
“The shop manager, a 22-year-old female from Cowdray Park, was slapped and forced to hand over cash and keys to the safe,” said Inspector Msebele.
The gang escaped with US$6 700 and a CCTV hard drive. They also searched employees, stealing four cellphones and small amounts of cash before tying their hands and legs with shoelaces and fleeing.
Insp Msebele appealed for information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects and warned the public against resisting armed criminals.
The twin robberies have left Luveve and Entumbane residents on edge as detectives pore over CCTV footage, hunting gangs that turned ordinary shopping trips into scenes of terror.
Online Reporter