Machete gang fired for violent behaviour, theft: Gold miner
Source: Machete gang fired for violent behaviour, theft: Gold miner – herald Raymond Jaravaza, Sunday News Reporter ON 18 December 2024, on a hot afternoon at a mining operation at Aisleby Farm, a Bulawayo City Council-owned piece of land, Mr Prosper Dlamini stared death in the face when he was attacked with a machete by a […]
ON 18 December 2024, on a hot afternoon at a mining operation at Aisleby Farm, a Bulawayo City Council-owned piece of land, Mr Prosper Dlamini stared death in the face when he was attacked with a machete by a three-member gang.
He was struck on the head by a machete and left sprawled in the coagulation of his blood on an open space where his father runs a mining operation.
The attackers disappeared into the bush and were never seen again at the mine.
His crime was that his father, Mr Oswell Dlamini, had fired a group of young men who worked for him for rowdy behaviour that he did not condone.
Prosper was rushed to Mpilo Hospital where he was quickly attended to and received several stitches on the head.
Mr Prosper Dlamini shows where he was attacked with a machete
The attack was reported to the police under case number 30/12/24 at Sauerstown Police Station.
Fast forward to five months later, Oswell and his son Prosper recognised the face of one of the gang members on the front page of the Sunday News in an article that chronicled how a machete gang had terrorised Bulawayo residents in a crime spree that spanned several weeks in Queenspark, Emakhandeni, Hillside, Richmond and Sauerstown.
“One of the people who attacked my son was a man named Nkazimulo Mathe and we recognised him when his picture was published in the Sunday News.
“His face was not hard to miss because he almost killed my son and was one of the people that I fired at the mine for being violent.
“We had not seen or heard of his whereabouts since he and two others injured my son,” said Oswell.
Mathe is one of the several machete gang members who terrorised suburbs of the city in recent weeks.
Police arrested the suspects in several locations.
The notorious gang armed with machetes and believed to be responsible for a string of violent robberies was dismantled after police arrested a key suspect accused of masterminding a mobile phone theft syndicate.
The suspect subsequently implicated fellow gang members.
With assistance from local residents, police tracked down and arrested the suspects at various hideouts across suburbs such as Mzilikazi, Sauerstown, and Queens Park.
Prosper said the individuals who attacked him were angry that his father had told them to leave his premises.
“They were part of a group of workers that had come to work at the mine under the employment of another man named Mazonde, who was my father’s business partner.
“The workers would constantly fight and steal things around the mine and my father decided to get rid of them. They kept on coming back to steal gold ore and when I confronted them about it, Nkazimulo and two of his friends attacked me with a machete” said Prosper.
He says he was lucky to be alive after the injury to his head that could have killed him had he not received swift medical help.
“I’m not surprised that they are part of a gang that has been terrorising Bulawayo residents. We would not have allowed them anywhere near the mine has we known that they are violent criminals who caused so much trouble for the people of Bulawayo,” said Prosper.
The machete gang has since appeared in court facing more than 20 cases of violent robberies.
So bad was the reign of terror by the machete gang that local Apostolic sect churches that meet in a bushy area between Emakhandeni and Richmond suburbs had stopped late night prayer sessions.
“We were now moving in groups to and from church for fear of the machete gang.
“Our leader asked us to stop late prayers until the situation was resolved and the gang members were arrested,” said Mrs Elina Sibanda.
Emakhandeni resident Luckson Mpofu said the neighbourhood watch committees worked overtime during the machete attack period.
“The problem is that those guys were attacking residents in broad daylight and it was difficult to know when they would strike again.
“During the machete attacks period, we had to start patrolling the streets as early as 7am and finish around 5pm,” said Mr Mpofu.
Bulawayo police spokesperson, Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, assured residents that the situation is now under control.
“Since the arrests were made, the rate of violent crime in these suburbs has declined, and police would like to reassure Bulawayo residents that their safety is a priority. Investigations are ongoing and further arrests are expected,” said Insp Msebele.
