Crime, Fear and Reckoning: How Bulawayo’s Underworld Defined 2025

From the Ecobank heist to the arrest of the “Terror Twins” and the rise of machete gangs (image source)

In many ways, Bulawayo’s most defining crime story of 2025 was shaped by events that unfolded months earlier. As the year began, the city was still grappling with the aftermath of the October 2024 Ecobank heist, a brazen daylight robbery in which US$4 million disappeared in just 149 seconds. Widely regarded as the largest bank robbery in Zimbabwe’s history, the crime refused to fade from public consciousness, instead fuelling persistent anxiety and speculation. Questions around planning, possible inside assistance and the fate of the stolen money lingered throughout the year.

For much of 2025, law-enforcement agencies in Zimbabwe and South Africa worked behind the scenes to unravel the case. A major breakthrough came in July with the arrest of brothers Elijah and Abraham Vumbunu, infamously dubbed the “Terror Twins.” The arrests revived a case that had begun to drift into legend. Elijah had previously featured among Zimbabwe’s most wanted criminals, and investigators allege the brothers, originally from Mzilikazi in Bulawayo, operated primarily from South Africa, crossing borders to carry out armed robberies with precision. Police confirmed that extradition processes were underway, while investigations continued to identify other suspects linked to the Ecobank heist.

When the brothers were eventually extradited and returned to Zimbabwe, their arrival was met with widespread relief in Bulawayo and beyond. However, the Vumbunu saga did not end there. In October, police revealed that another family member, Sekai Vumbunu, had allegedly launched her own criminal activities, this time targeting Bulawayo’s illicit foreign-currency trading networks. Alongside alleged accomplice Florence Chisiri, she was accused of orchestrating robberies amounting to US$36 000.

Investigators allege the pair, posing as clients, targeted illegal money changers, including a robbery at Nkolozi Investments in the CIPF Building, where US$18 000 and R151 000 were stolen. Their arrest followed an August 10 robbery near Fife Street and 12th Avenue, where a restaurant patron was allegedly robbed of US$4 000 and R60 000. A police chase through Mbundane and Nketa 6 led to the arrest of two accomplices, eventually exposing the wider operation. The developments reignited debate about the extent to which criminal activity may have been entrenched within the Vumbunu family.

Beyond headline robberies, 2025 also saw a disturbing shift in the nature of urban crime. Machete-wielding gangs, once associated mainly with illegal mining disputes, began terrorising residential neighbourhoods. A group comprising Leeroy Sibanda (19), Nkosilathi Dhlamini (25) and Ntandoyenkosi Nyoni (35) targeted residents along bushy footpaths, armed with machetes, axes and knives. Their campaign of violence earned them the nickname “the Machete Gang” and ended with their arrest in Entumbane. They were later sentenced to a combined 72 years in prison, with the court citing the need for deterrent punishment.

Armed robberies also continued to punctuate the year. On May 11, two armed men reportedly stormed Crystal Lounge at the corner of Robert Mugabe Way and 10th Avenue, locking staff inside before escaping with US$4 300. The incident triggered a citywide police operation and reinforced public fears over persistent violent crime.

As 2025 draws to a close, Bulawayo’s crime narrative is one of reckoning and warning. High-profile crimes of previous years finally caught up with alleged perpetrators, even as new and dangerous patterns emerged. The year served as a stark reminder that while arrests and convictions bring relief, the struggle for public safety in the city remains ongoing.