Police have raided Mbare’s Siyaso home industries and recovered 31 machetes and arrested seven people suspected to be selling the weapons to gangs, infamously called MaShurugwi, who are terrorising the country.
The Herald quotes its source as saying that before “Operation Chikorokoza Ngachipere/No to Machete Gangs” was launched last week, machetes were selling like hot buns in mining areas. Said the source:
Information we have gathered is that some people were coming to buy machetes to protect themselves from attackers and that is why there was a huge demand for these weapons.
Some of the people were coming from mines to buy machetes in Mbare. The sellers would sell more than 20 machetes per day.
But when the operation was launched last week, the sales drastically went down as people were afraid of being found in possession of the machetes.
Reports indicate that a single machete was being sold for between US$6 and US$10 at Siyaso.
Police have arrested hundreds of MaShurugwi across the country who had become a menace, particularly in Mazowe, Chegutu and Kadoma.