Story by Gay Matambo
THE Zimbabwe Republic Police has intensified response operations to dismantle suspected machete-wielding gangs that have allegedly placed sections of Dangamvura suburb in Mutare under siege.
What began as isolated night muggings is reported to have escalated into a pattern of violent home invasions and street attacks, leaving residents of Ward 8 in Dangamvura constituency gripped by fear.
The violence has reportedly taken a disturbing turn, with suspected gangs increasingly targeting vulnerable residents, particularly women and young girls.
“I was attacked when I was coming from work at the tuckshop in the evening. For me, it was one person, and he had a machete, and he struck me on the leg and face with it. I could hear other voices though from a distance laughing,” a victim said.
“I was coming from the shops at night when I was attacked and dragged to a dark bushy area, but he ran away as he heard people approaching where we were coming from the shops. He cut my nose and face before he left, and this happened early last month,” another victim said.
Tensions in the community escalated further following a recent incident in which a Form 1 student was reportedly targeted.
“As a family, we are completely devastated and broken. You ask yourself, what kind of human beings hunt down and destroy a young girl like that with weapons in their hands? We are crying out for justice, but more than that, we want these animals removed from our streets before they destroy another family.” Victims’ Guardian, Mr Sheikh Juma Yard said.
Local leadership has begun mobilising neighbourhood watch committees in an effort to reinforce security, particularly in poorly lit areas.
“We are appealing directly to the local authority and central government to help us reclaim our streets. As local leaders, we have already begun mobilising residents to form robust neighbourhood watch committees. It is alleged that there have been more than seven incidents of this nature in this area in May only, and that is worrisome,” Dangamvura Constituency Ward 8 Councillor, Councillor Warren Kuudzeyi said.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has confirmed it is actively engaged in investigations and operations aimed at dismantling the alleged syndicates.
“This is an issue that we are currently looking into as Police, and we have made deployments in terms of accounting for the suspects. We also urge the public that if they have any information on the suspects’ movement or if it is a syndicate, to come forward and give the police information, but I assure you that it is something that the police are actively engaged on whether they are robbery or rape cases. On the other hand, we urge the public to be alert when walking through dark alleys and avoid walking alone late at night,” Zimbabwe Republic Police National Spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi said.
With police operations now underway, residents say there is cautious hope that normalcy will return to Ward 8 in Dangamvura.
