Six armed robbers executed Zimbabwe’s largest cash heist on Thursday, stealing over US$4 million from a cash-in-transit van on a busy street in Bulawayo. The robbery occurred around 3:30 PM when the Safeguard security van collected metal boxes filled with cash from the Ecobank branch at the NRZ Building, located at the intersection of Fife Street and 9th Avenue.
The robbers, armed with AK47s and wearing face masks and bucket hats, swiftly surrounded the van and overpowered the guards. Witnesses, including afternoon shoppers, captured videos and photos of the robbers calmly loading the cash boxes into a white Ford Ranger single cab vehicle, which then sped away down Fife Street.
Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that approximately US$4 million was stolen, suggesting the possibility of an inside job due to the methodical nature of the robbery. He assured the public that thorough investigations were underway.
Remarkably, the robbery took place just a short distance from the Bulawayo Central Police Station. Police sources revealed that the Central Investigations Department, responsible for major crimes, had been unable to fuel their vehicles for a week, potentially hampering the immediate response.
Authorities interviewed staff from both the bank and Safeguard late into the night. One law enforcement source disclosed that the infamous Elijah Vumbunu, a member of a notorious crime family, had emerged as a key suspect. Vumbunu and his brothers, wanted for multiple high-profile robberies, are believed to operate from South Africa, making periodic trips to Zimbabwe for such crimes.
Videos and images of the crime scene revealed the getaway vehicle’s number plate, AGP2333, which was later confirmed to belong to a different vehicle, a Mazda Demio. Shockingly, footage also showed a uniformed police officer casually walking past the scene during the robbery, unaware of the unfolding crime.
A bank manager, speaking after the incident, suggested that the amount stolen might be closer to US$5 million, noting that a client was depositing US$100,000 at the time of the heist. The stolen cash was reportedly en route to Harare from the Ecobank branch, located in Bulawayo’s tallest building.
This robbery surpasses the 2021 Gwebi River Bridge heist, where US$2.7 million was stolen in a similar cash-in-transit robbery. In that case, a bank employee was arrested and convicted after police determined he had orchestrated the crime.
