Mental scars of armed robbery victims

from Fawcett Security was disarmed and the robbers drove off with huge sums of money in the company’s truck which was later abandoned.

“That robbery episode still troubles me. It took me several months to gain courage to pass through that bureau de change, let alone the whole building.

“I do not know whether the guns were real or not but the fact that they pointed the guns at us, ordered us to lie down is traumatic,” says Mr Ncube.

So traumatic was the ordeal that he pleaded with his parents in the diaspora not to send money to him, but to his sister.

“Between March and June, my sister was collecting the money. It has since changed because she is now in South Africa.”

Last week, there was confusion when police cordoned off streets leading to Fidelity Building at Corner 11th Avenue and Fife Street, where suspected armed robbers were reportedly holed up.

The armed robbers reportedly sneaked out with US$6 270 as well as R5 000 from one of the offices in the 12-storey building before police were called to the scene.

Early this month, five armed robbers pounced on CBZ Bank’s Fife Street branch around mid-day and got away with US$70 000.

A month before, armed robbers raided a Mukuru branch in the city centre and got away with more than US$100 000.

The branch is situated along 10th Avenue between Fife Street and George Silundika Street.

The branch mostly services clients who will be receiving money from international financial agents.

Last year in March, two burglars raided Mukuru Send Money Home transfer agent in Bulawayo at Zapalala Supermarket along Jason Moyo Street between 9th and 10th Avenues.

They got away with more than US$17 000 and R100 000 in what was suspected to be an inside job.

It was not clear what time the burglars broke into the shop, but the raid was discovered when the money transfer agent employees reported for duty at about 6.45AM the following day.

In some cases, suspects masqueraded as genuine customers and queued just like everyone else before pouncing on unsuspecting victims. Narrating his experience, another bureau de charge client Sicelo Nxumalo (47) said she was nearly caught up in a robbery and witnessed it a few metres away.

She witnessed a robbery at Mukuru Send Money Home transfer agent in Bulawayo at Zapalala Supermarket along Jason Moyo Street between 9th and 10th Avenues

“One morning, I had intended to collect money from one agency at Zapalala Supermarket when I spotted a Honda Fit with no registration numbers. I became suspicious because it was at a time when police were impounding unregistered vehicles countrywide.

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