A LOCAL construction company, Masimba Holdings Limited, has warned its workers and the public in general about smashand-grab muggings that have become prevalent on roads around the capital, especially at night.
In a memorandum to its workers, the company, one of the indigenous firms involved in the government road rehabilitation programme around the country, advised its workers to avoid staying late into the night at work as this would expose them to muggings on the roads.
Masimba Holdings loss control manager, Thembekile Ngungu, a retired Zimbabwe National Army major, said there was a marked increase in night muggings and smash-and-grab crimes 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,” he said, and listed 21 hotspots where the crimes were occurring.
These include all intersections along Harare Drive, corner Churchill and Borrowdale Road, Churchill and Second Street Extension, corner King George and Lomagundi Roads, Quendon and West Road.
Others include Coventry and Rekai Tangwena Roads, Rotten Row and Mbare Roads, Lyton Road Filter into Rotten Row, and all intersections along Rotten Row from Josiah Tongogara up to Chitungwiza Road (including the Mupedzanhamo area).
The crimes have also been noted at corner Chiremba Road and Glenara, Limpopo Road and Gleneagles. Limpopo Road from Gleneagles stretching up to Coventry Road (especially the railroad and Lyton Road underpass), all roundabouts (Kuwadzana, Highglen and Masasa among others and Willowvale industrial area due to reduced human traffic at night.
Avondale, Chisipite, Sam Levy’s Village, Westgate, High Glen, Machipisa and Madokero shopping centres were also affected and Ngungu said the list was not exhaustive. —New Ziana