The Sunday News
Peter Matika, Senior Reporter
THERE has been a recent spate of break ins at Mahatshula suburb and surrounding areas in Bulawayo, where residents of the neighbourhood have said they no longer feel safe, as thieves raid their houses wily nilly.
According to residents, thieves have become so daring that they break and enter into their houses without making a sound, even during the day.
“This is now a serious and very worrisome matter; these people will end up killing us. There are break ins almost every day here and the irony of it all is that they don’t make a sound when they do. We only know or see that there was a break in at the break of dawn. These people are even going to the extent of stealing bricks from houses that are being built or extended,” said one resident in an interview.
Today residents of the neighbourhood will be holding an emergency meeting concerning the rise in criminal activity in the neighbourhood.
“They use car jacks to open security fences and doors. We have lost a lot of property and something should be done as soon as possible. These break ins should be attended to urgently. This is an extremely worrying development. We believe residents and police need to work together to stop this,” said another resident.
There have been reports of armed robbers also targeting houses at Mahatshula, with the recent case being one of a transport operator.
Police said they needed specific cases to comment on the matter, although they said all reported cases were being investigated as they were keen to maintain law and order. In addition, police in Bulawayo recently launched a community project where they have been encouraging residents to develop communication with police to eradicate crime.
