A wave of terror has gripped Bulawayo’s Entumbane suburb after six residents were brutally attacked by armed thugs wielding machetes and an axe in separate incidents along the railway line separating the suburb and Richmond.
The assailants stole belongings, stripped male victims naked and left some with severe injuries requiring hospital treatment.
Ward 10 Councillor Khalazani Ndlovu confirmed to CITE the attacks, which occurred around 5pm to 6pm on Thursday and expressed deep concern over the rising crime rate in the area.
โPeople in Entumbane are not okay. People are frightened and the whole community is shaken,โ Ndlovu said.
โResidents were attacked at different points along the railway line. Some were coming from church, others from work, and some were just crossing to Richmond. The thieves took everything they had – phones, clothes, even jackets and trousers. Some men were stripped naked.โ
The councillor added that while some women were spared physical harm, the robbers threatened to โchop themโ if they resisted.
โIn that afternoon, some women had their phones stolen. Although they were unharmed physically, the thugs told them they would have chopped them but empathised with them,โ Ndlovu said.
She added that residents were confused, not knowing what to do as the criminals reportedly hid in maize fields, which lead to Saucerstown suburb.
โMany people have fields along the railway leading to Saucerstown, which is where these thugs are said to be hiding with their machetes,โ the councillor said.
Ndlovu said three of the injured victims were treated and discharged, while three others remain hospitalised at Mpilo Central Hospital.
The councillor said she plans to visit them.
โWe are engaging the police to find solutions. Maybe warnings should be issued and people must avoid walking near the railway, especially at dusk,โ Ndlovu noted.
In an interview with CITE, one of the victims, Busani Sibanda, shared his harrowing experience. Sibanda said he was attacked after attending a church service while searching for cow dung with an acquaintance near the railway line.
โMy friend had been calling me asking me for cow dung because usually there are some cows that move along the railway. After church I then met up with him while I was with church mates who then bade us farewell. After my church mates had left, the thugs emerged from the maize crops planted in the fields and immediately started attacking and chopping us with their machetes,โ he narrated.
โI donโt know if they had been trailing us and for how long they had been doing so, so that they could attack whoever was left by themselves. They succeeded in their plans as they left, having chopped our heads, hands and legs.โ
Sibanda said he and his acquaintance could not run away because they were now injured.
โMy leg was injured and painful. The thieves continued attacking us with their machetes and stole our phones, clothing and sneakers, leaving us naked,โ he said.
Sibanda suffered deep cuts on his head, hands and legs, requiring stitches.
โThere were three attackers, two with machetes, one with an axe. It was just after 6pm, as the sun was setting. Iโm still in pain, particularly on the part where I had to receive stitches and the part where they knocked me with the axe. I am struggling to walk. They really injured us,โ he said.
Meanwhile, the councillor hoped police would act as residents now lived in fear, with many questioning their safety even in broad daylight.
โThese criminals are bold, attacking people coming from church, work or as they go about their routines. What next?โ Ndlovu asked, calling for increased community vigilance and patrols.
โI urge people to avoid isolated areas, especially near the railway line. Travel in groups, particularly after sunset and report suspicious activity immediately.โ