SINCE March this year, a trusted referral gardener, a mshikashika driver and three accomplices have allegedly orchestrated a string of house break-ins and car battery thefts across Bulawayo’s suburbs.
The gang, John Malunga (28), Menelisi Sibanda (24), Fungai Chinjodzi (30) from Nketa 9, Arise Moyo (29) from Emganwini and Neverson Siyapeya (42) of Pumula East worked together to steal from houses in Malindela, Hillside, Burnside, Morningside and Newton West surroundings.
Malunga, the gardener, used his familiarity with homes to identify vulnerable targets, while Sibanda, the mshikashika driver, provided transportation for stolen goods and served as the getaway driver. Their crime spree came to an abrupt end on May 19 when authorities apprehended them at Hillside Shopping Centre.
“At 10pm, we received a call from one alert and concerned resident of Hillside to the effect that there was a black Honda fit that was parked at Hillside Shopping Centre, which had suspicious occupants. We swiftly reacted to that information, located the motor vehicle and carried out searches,” said Zwelihle Ndlovu, Hillside Police CID officer-in-charge.
“There were two occupants in the motor vehicle, we carried out searches and recovered a Samsung television set, which both accused persons failed to account for.
“We then arrested them and took them to the police station, where we did further interviews and they implicated their three accomplices.”
That same night, police raided the accomplices’ residences, arresting them and recovering stolen property.
“The following day, they led us around the city, in the central business district, Mpopoma, Magwegwe West, and in Nkulumane, where we recovered part of the property, which had been sold to unsuspecting members of the public. The recovered property is estimated at about US$45 000,” Ndlovu said.
- Trusted gardener leads break-ins, theft gang
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One victim, David Rakabopa, a Hillside resident, expressed his disappointment after discovering that his former gardener was involved in the robbery.
“We woke up Sunday morning to a forced entry through an electric fence. They cut the electric fence and forcefully entered one of our doors, so we woke up to the loss of stolen property in the morning. We reported the incident that same morning,” Rakabopa said.
“When we saw the call to come and identify the property at the police station, I quickly came as we were faced with the incident recently, which is when I saw Malunga, who was a gardener at my house in 2023.”
The recovered items include two generators, four size 14 complete wheels, two size 16 complete wheels, three Kodak lithium solar batteries, two Shoto lithium solar batteries, 46 car batteries, a Fusion bar fridge, a Defy upright fridge, a Samsung television set, a Panasonic television set, two gas tanks, three grass cutter machines, a roll of barbed wire, a horse pipe, 200-litre empty drum, an Empirical sewing machine, three tool boxes, a lawn mower and two welding machines.
Meanwhile, police in Bulawayo have urged the public to avoid purchasing items from thieves, as doing so unintentionally supports criminal activities, making it harder to curb theft and burglary in the city.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele urged residents to stop purchasing stolen goods.
“As the police, we encourage the public to desist from buying property from these criminals,” she said.
“We are creating a fertile ground for them. If they find buyers, they will continue stealing and selling our possessions.”
She added: “We also urge people to vet their employees. This gardener, John Malunga (28), was familiar with the Hillside area.
“He would call in his criminal associates, who would then target unsuspecting residents and steal their belongings.”
She said some mshikashika drivers operate as transport providers, but at night, criminals use their vehicles to ferry stolen goods.
“Vehicle owners must be vigilant and should not allow their drivers to operate these vehicles at night.”
