Masimba Holdings Limited, a leading construction company, has warned the public of an increase in nighttime mugging and smash-and-grab crimes in Harare.
In a letter dated May 8, 2024, addressed to employees, Masimba Holdings’s loss control manager, Thembekile Ngugu warned that the criminals are targetting both motorists and pedestrians. He wrote:
This memo serves to inform you that there has been a marked increase in night mugging and smash-and-grab crimes in and around Harare. The criminals are not only targeting vehicle drivers but pedestrians as well.
Smash and grab crimes are generally perpetrated at traffic lights-controlled intersections, all roundabouts where traffic slows down or comes to a complete stop and parking lots in shopping centres around Harare.
According to Ngugu, the crime hotspots are all intersections along Harare Drive, corners of Churchill and Borrowdale Road, Churchill and Second Street Extension, King George and Lomagundi Road, Quendon and West Road, Coventry and Rekai Tangwena Road, Rotten Row and Mbare Road and the Lyton Road Filter into Rotten Row.
Also all intersections along Rotten Row, from Josiah Tongogara up to Chitungwiza Road (including the Mupedzanhamo area), corner Chiremba Road and Glenara, corner Limpopo Road and Gleneagles, Limpopo Road from Gleneagles stretching up to Coventry Road (especially the railroad and Lyton Road underpass), all roundabouts (Kuwadzana, Highglen, Masasa, etc), Willowvale industrial area.
Ngugu said shopping centres that have become crime hotspots include Avondale shopping centre, Chisipte shopping centre, Sam Levy’s Village shopping centre, Westgate shopping centre, High Glen shopping centre, Machipisa shopping centre and Madokero shopping centre. He added:
The list above is by no means exhaustive and thus we are all simply implored to be careful as we drive or walk around, especially at night.
The golden rule on how to avoid getting into these very uncomfortable situations and stay safe is simply to avoid driving and being outdoors at night unless there is an emergency.
In view of this, we advise those of us who sometimes stay late at work, even when it is not necessary, to consider carrying whatever residual work there will be home and finishing it off from there.
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