20-point former head boy linked to 16-car thefts
He was once the pride of his school: a Head Boy, church elder and brilliant student who scored an impressive 20 points at Advanced Level.
Almost a decade later, Keith Nyasha Sibanda is the subject of a police manhunt in Bulawayo after investigators linked him to the disappearance and disposal of 16 vehicles valued at US$161 500.
Police say the 27-year-old, who is from Mahatshula North, obtained the vehicles from private owners and car-hire operators by presenting himself as a trusted client. He would reportedly hire cars for short periods, extend the rental agreements and then sell the vehicles or use them as collateral to secure loans from different individuals.
The alleged offences took place between June 2025 and July 2026. Thirteen of the vehicles have since been recovered, while detectives are searching for the remaining three and trying to establish how the cars moved from their original owners to other people.
Criminal Investigations Department national spokesperson Detective Inspector Rachel Muteweri said Sibanda gained the confidence of vehicle owners before taking advantage of the extended hire arrangements.
A Bulawayo-based car-hire company said five of its vehicles were taken after Sibanda hired them. A representative of the company said: “This man hired five of our cars and sold them.”
The company has offered a reward for information that leads to Sibanda’s arrest. Police have appealed to anyone who knows where he is or has information that could help recover the outstanding vehicles to report to the nearest police station.
The investigation is also focusing on the people who received the vehicles after they were taken from their owners. Detectives want to determine whether other individuals helped sell the cars, accepted them as security for loans or assisted with changes to ownership particulars.
Questions have been raised over how some of the vehicles were allegedly transferred to new holders. Victims said certain buyers were reportedly able to register cars in their own names after producing supporting affidavits. The development has left owners seeking answers about the checks carried out before vehicle ownership details are changed.
“How does one manage to sell a vehicle that does not belong to him? Some of the buyers are said to have produced supporting affidavits indicating that the vehicle would be theirs, raising suspicions that this could be a syndicate involving other offices,” said one victim.
Another victim said she was traumatised by the loss of her vehicle and concerned by reports that its registration particulars had been altered.
“Changing vehicle particulars involves some security checks to ensure that everything is above board and to prevent such criminality, which we have become victims of,” she said.
The recovery of 13 vehicles is expected to give investigators important leads as they reconstruct the transactions. Each vehicle could help detectives establish where it was handed over, who received it, whether money changed hands and how the vehicle’s records were handled afterwards.
The case has brought renewed attention to the risks facing private vehicle owners and car-hire businesses in Bulawayo. Rental operators depend on clients returning vehicles at an agreed time, while private owners often rely on identity documents, references and personal assurances before handing over expensive property. When a client extends a rental period, the owner may continue to believe that the vehicle remains in the client’s possession for legitimate use.
That trust appears to have been central to the suspected scheme. Instead of a vehicle disappearing immediately after it was hired, the arrangements reportedly continued long enough for owners to believe that the cars were still being used under extended agreements. By the time concerns arose, some vehicles had allegedly been sold or pledged to people who had no direct relationship with the original owners.
The investigation comes as Bulawayo police deal with other vehicle-theft cases involving a different method of operation. In July, police warned motorists after two old-shape Honda Fit vehicles were stolen within hours of each other. One was taken from the Central Business District after its owner left it outside a supermarket with the doors and windows closed but unlocked. Another was stolen in Bellevue later that evening while its owner was shopping.
Police said the first vehicle disappeared after its owner had been away for about five minutes. A mobile phone, power bank, Bluetooth speaker, a tyre, clothing and US$35 cash were also reported missing. The second vehicle was taken after its owner left it outside a supermarket for roughly 10 minutes. No arrests had been reported in those cases at the time of the warning.
Inspector Nomalanga Msebele urged motorists to lock all doors, close all windows, avoid leaving valuables inside parked vehicles and consider using tracking devices and anti-theft systems. The incidents highlighted how quickly a vehicle can be stolen when basic security precautions are overlooked.
The Sibanda case differs from those rapid street thefts because the vehicles were reportedly obtained through hire agreements rather than taken from unattended parking spaces. It nevertheless adds to the pressure on motorists, businesses and authorities to improve the way vehicles are tracked, transferred and verified.
Another recent case showed how a vehicle obtained from a rental company can be moved across borders and presented under different identifying details. Two Botswana nationals appeared in a Bulawayo court after a Toyota Fortuner allegedly hired in Durban was not returned. Prosecutors said the vehicle’s South African number plate was removed, a false Botswana registration number was fitted and the original chassis number was replaced before the vehicle was driven into Zimbabwe. The Fortuner was later recovered.
The details of that case have intensified concerns about stolen or fraudulently obtained vehicles being moved through different jurisdictions. Where number plates, chassis details or ownership documents are changed, the process of tracing a vehicle becomes more complicated and buyers may find themselves holding property that is later identified as stolen.
For vehicle owners, the Bulawayo investigation has also raised concerns about the importance of regular contact with clients and the need to act quickly when a vehicle is not returned. For car-hire operators, the loss of five vehicles to one client demonstrates the scale of damage that can result when a trusted arrangement is abused.
Police are now examining whether the 16 vehicles were disposed of through separate transactions or whether several people worked together. Investigators are also expected to compare the ownership documents, affidavits, loan arrangements and sale records connected to the recovered cars.
The outstanding vehicles remain a priority. Police want information that may lead them to the cars as well as to Sibanda, who has not yet been arrested. They have urged members of the public not to buy vehicles or accept them as collateral without checking the ownership history, documentation and transfer procedures.
Det Insp Muteweri said: “Anyone with information regarding Sibanda’s whereabouts should report to any nearest police station. As police, we also warn members of the public against purchasing vehicles or accepting them as collateral without carrying out thorough checks to establish ownership and ensure that all documentation and transfer procedures are legitimate.”
The police appeal follows a story that has unsettled people who knew Sibanda before the vehicle investigation. Former classmates remembered him as intelligent, disciplined and respected, a student who held positions of responsibility and was known for speaking confidently.
One former classmate, who asked not to be named, described him as a model learner who was prepared to challenge authority when he believed he was right.
“Keith was a very intelligent and kind character who has always been reputable in positions of authority. A very straightforward gentleman of high aura who managed to challenge high authority,” said the former classmate.
The former classmate added that Sibanda was an accomplished public speaker and had held leadership positions at school.
“He was our Head Boy for the year 2016, a church elder as well who scored 20 points at A-Level. I don’t know what then came into him to become what he is now suspected to have done,” he said.
Another former schoolmate, who attended primary and secondary school with Sibanda, described him as exceptionally intelligent. “We went to the same Primary and High School. Keith was very smart. I’ll leave it there,” wrote the former schoolmate, who uses the name Gugue Sunshine on Facebook.
Ntobeko Ncube, also believed to have attended the same school, recalled Sibanda as a quiet student who was gifted in preaching.
“He used to be so quiet at school, I’m sure he was plotting,” Ncube commented on Facebook as discussion of the case spread.
For the victims, however, the focus is no longer on the person they remember from school. It is on recovering vehicles, understanding how ownership records were changed and identifying everyone who may have handled the cars after they were hired.
As detectives continue their work, the recovery of the remaining three vehicles and the arrest of Sibanda could provide the next major developments in the case. Police are asking the public to come forward with information that may help locate him, trace the vehicles and clarify how a series of hire agreements allegedly turned into one of Bulawayo’s biggest recent vehicle-theft investigations.