BULAWAYO – After a year-long pursuit, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) have made a significant breakthrough in the investigation into the audacious US$4.4 million Ecobank robbery that gripped the nation last year. One suspect has been apprehended and is slated to appear in court this morning, according to Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele. Details surrounding the arrest are currently being closely guarded as the investigation intensifies.
The brazen heist, which unfolded in broad daylight, saw a seven-man gang vanish with millions in a mere 149 seconds, leaving banking staff and bystanders in disbelief. The cash was in the process of being transferred from an Ecobank branch in Bulawayo to a security van when the armed robbers struck, executing what has become the most audacious robbery in the country’s history.
The robbery occurred in October 2024 at the corner of Fife Street and 9th Avenue. According to a female street vendor, one of the robbers casually purchased chewing gum for R1 just moments before the attack. “He bought chewing gum, but didn’t say anything to me. He kept looking all over the place then suddenly ran in the direction of the bank. When I looked to see why he was running, I saw him wrestling one of the security guards,” she recounted, requesting anonymity. “Everything happened so fast. When I saw guns, I grabbed my stuff and ran in the opposite direction. In a very short space of time, the white pick-up vehicle sped away, turned left at the traffic lights, and disappeared.”
The robbers, armed with AK-47 rifles, swiftly overpowered the Safeguard security team guarding the cash-in-transit vehicle. Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele detailed the attack: “Three of the Cash-in-Transit details were armed with a shotgun, which had two rounds of ammunition, a pistol (make and type unknown) with 10 rounds, and a Canik 9mm pistol with five rounds. The accused persons approached the Cash in Transit team, assaulted the details with the butt of AK-47 rifles they were carrying, and disarmed the security team.”
“The suspects ordered the security team to lie down on their stomachs and warned them against raising any alarm. The security team complied, and the accused persons took away their guns. The accused persons dragged three trunks that had cash, loaded them into a getaway vehicle, and drove off at high speed. The suspects also took away the three guns which they had taken from the security team,” she added. The getaway vehicle, a Ford Ranger single cab, sped away along Fife Street towards 10th Avenue.
In addition to the substantial cash, the robbers also made off with two pistols and a shotgun belonging to the security company. Police are deeply concerned about the potential misuse of these stolen firearms in future crimes. A detective from the Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS) revealed that the number plates on the getaway vehicle, AGP2333, belonged to a Mazda Demio. He declined to identify the vehicle owner, citing the ongoing investigation. “Stealing number plates from another car is a modus operandi used by criminals to try and throw off police investigators. The number plates captured in videos circulating online are actually for a Mazda Demio. Criminals usually target vehicles in car parks in Western areas or people that knock off from work at night and park their cars in areas such as Parirenyatwa Street, where it’s easy to steal the number plates,” the detective explained.
Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the national police spokesperson, stated last year that initial indications suggested “an element of an inside job or leakage of information.” He assured the public that “the law will take its course without fear or favour.”
As the net tightens, the nation watches closely to see who else will fall. The arrest comes after the ZRP vehemently denied releasing a list of six men purportedly implicated in the heist, which circulated widely on social media. The alleged list included Elijah Vumbunu (alias Mupositori), Takafa Vumbunu (alias Naison Mahembe), David Sawadye, Israel Zulu, Kudakwashe Mudzingwa (alias Umbro), Paul Chinake, and Brian Murape.
Commissioner Nyathi categorically dismissed the document, stating, “As police, we have not made an official announcement of the suspects. We want to emphasise that we have not stated the suspects. Whoever is dishing out names, or giving out names is communicating information that is not officially from the Zimbabwe Republic Police. This is the correct position. We also want to find out the agenda of the people who are circulating these names. We will issue the names at the appropriate time once we have had a proper position.”
A relative of Sawadye, who requested anonymity, told The Standard, “If it is true that the police released such a statement, one is left questioning if there is ever such an investigation taking place. If the police made a mistake, the logical thing to do is to issue an apology to the family. We have accepted that we lost our brother under unclear circumstances, but linking him to a crime from his grave cannot be tolerated.”
The leaked list also highlighted the notorious criminal history of Elijah Vumbunu, identified as a prime suspect in the Ecobank robbery. Vumbunu’s criminal record is extensive, including a previous conviction for a ZW$40 million heist in Mutare in 2003, a subsequent prison break from Chikurubi Maximum Prison in 2005, and alleged involvement in the 2022 How Mine gold robbery. He was only recently released from prison on bail pending an appeal against a 40-year sentence. His brother, Takafa Vumbunu, is also a wanted man, with a 62-year sentence for armed robbery. Both brothers, along with their older brother Abraham (also recently released from prison for armed robbery), are known to have engaged in criminal activities since the mid-1990s.
Below is the CCTV footage of the 149-second cash heist at Ecobank Bulawayo:
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