Five girls and four boys arrested at Bulawayo Vuzu party as police probe mobile gatherings
BULAWAYO — Nine schoolchildren were arrested after police raided a suspected Vuzu party at a house in Bellevue, Bulawayo, where officers found teenagers drinking alcohol and some attempting to hide.
The group consisted of five girls and four boys from two schools in the city. Police said four of the girls were aged 14, while the fifth was 16. All four boys were aged 16.
The raid followed a tip-off from a concerned resident, who alerted police to activity at the house last Friday. Officers arrived to find the teenagers gathered inside the property. Some were allegedly intoxicated, while others tried to conceal themselves after realising that police had entered the premises.
Bulawayo police deputy spokesperson Assistant Inspector Thandekile Ndlovu said officers recovered two 750ml bottles of White Stone Gin. One bottle was empty and the other was almost half full. An empty 750ml bottle of Stretton’s whisky was also recovered.
“Some of the pupils revealed that the gathering had been organised by one of the students,” said Ass-Insp Ndlovu.
The house belongs to the uncle of one of the pupils. He was believed to be in South Africa at the time, leaving the property without the adult supervision that would normally be expected when schoolchildren are present.
Police are investigating how the gathering was organised, who supplied the alcohol and whether other people were involved in bringing the teenagers to the house. The pupils’ identities have not been released.
The Bellevue raid has renewed concern in Bulawayo over Vuzu parties, a term commonly used for unsupervised gatherings involving school-aged young people. Such parties have repeatedly come to police attention because of alcohol consumption, suspected drug use and the absence of responsible adults.
The Evolution of the Vuzu
The transition to mobile venues is a masterclass in evasion. “This is the age of the internet. We no longer meet physically to organise our parties and we no longer use fixed venues,” the schoolgirl explained. “Organisers arrange a kombi with tinted windows, we pile in and drive around town enjoying ourselves until we are done.”
The digital footprint of these gatherings is almost non-existent. Invitations are not posted on public social media walls but are whispered through encrypted messages from foreign numbers. “Only people who can keep a secret are invited,” declared a teen from a boarding school in Matabeleland South. “We know the day and time when a party will be held but we never know the venue or pick-up place. We just stay ready. On the day of the party we get a message from a foreign number and get picked up. The police will never catch us.”
In January 2024, police arrested 10 juveniles at a house in Malindela after receiving information about a Vuzu party. Nine of those arrested were learners at two Bulawayo schools, while the remaining person was a school leaver. Police said the young people, aged between 14 and 16, were found in a cottage smoking shisha and cigarettes and playing music.
That group told officers that they had gathered to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The occupant’s father said he had not known that the event was taking place because he spent much of the day away from home. The learners were later released into the custody of senior teachers.
A similar operation took place in Cowdray Park in May 2025, when police responded to noise complaints at a seven-roomed house and arrested 13 people. The group included a 21-year-old host and 12 others aged between 17 and 21. Police said the host lived at the property with his sister while their parents were in Botswana.
The repeated raids have placed greater attention on the role of parents, guardians and property owners. In a number of cases, gatherings have been held in homes where adults were absent or unaware of what was happening. Police have urged families to take a closer interest in where children spend their time, particularly during weekends, school holidays and periods when guardians are away.
There is also growing concern that some organisers are trying to make such gatherings harder to detect. Reports from Bulawayo have described young people using private venues, communicating through closed messaging groups and, in some cases, hiring vehicles with darkened windows. The purpose of using moving or concealed venues is said to be to avoid attention from residents and police patrols.
However, police have not said that the Bellevue group was found in a vehicle or that the teenagers arrested in the house were connected to any mobile gathering. The Bellevue case centres on the alleged consumption of alcohol at a private residence and the circumstances in which the pupils were brought together.
The use of commuter omnibuses in earlier incidents shows why the issue has remained difficult for authorities to contain. In 2019, Bulawayo police intercepted a kombi carrying 25 young people who were travelling to a party. Officers reported finding dagga, sex-enhancing drugs and condoms in the vehicle. Across that weekend, police detained at least 121 youths, many of them around 16 years old, during operations targeting parties and public drinking.
That operation also showed how quickly large gatherings can be arranged and moved across the city. Police said some of those detained had been drinking in public and making disruptive noise. The arrests prompted calls for authorities to investigate the people supplying drugs and alcohol rather than focusing only on the young people attending the parties.
The latest Bellevue case has again highlighted the role of information from residents. Police were able to reach the house after a member of the public reported the gathering, allowing officers to intervene before the event continued. Authorities have encouraged residents to report suspected parties involving children, particularly where there is excessive noise, alcohol use or evidence that young people are being transported to an unknown location.
The investigation will now focus on the student who allegedly organised the gathering, the source of the alcohol and the circumstances in which the house was made available. Police are also expected to establish whether the teenagers were invited by one organiser or whether several pupils were involved in arranging the event.
For parents and schools, the arrests are another warning that schoolchildren can be drawn into gatherings organised without the knowledge of their families. The presence of alcohol bottles, reports that some teenagers appeared intoxicated and attempts by others to hide suggest that the pupils were aware the gathering could attract police attention.
As officers continue with their inquiries, the Bellevue raid has added nine more names to a growing list of young people caught at unsupervised parties in Bulawayo. It has also renewed calls for closer supervision of children, greater responsibility from property owners and quicker reporting when residents see signs of a gathering involving minors.
Police said investigations into the Bellevue incident are continuing.