Crime gangs have a historical footprint to the extent that the American crime writer, Herbert Asbury’s The Gangs of New York was adapted into a film- Gangs of New York in 2002.
Though there has been much research on crime gangs in countries such as the United States (US) and South Africa, it seems that there hasn’t been much such research in Zimbabwe.
Recently there has been talk of politically motivated gangs such as Chipangano in Mbare and the Vanguard in the central business district (CBD), Harare, the Al-Shabaab in Kwekwe and the nomadic gold turf gang- MaShurugwi.
Word on the ground seems to suggest that both Chipangano and the Vanguard have been disbanded.
To support the argument that Al-Shabaab must have some political affiliations, the Chronicle newspaper reported that a gold dealer was killed at a nightclub in Kwekwe on 16 March 2019 (https://www.chronicle.co.zw/popular-kwekwe-gold-dealer-hacked-to-death/). This was just a few weeks after a desperate plea for help was made by the management at Kwekwe hospital. The marauding gangs have become a law unto themselves. They now roam in hospital wards hunting for their rivals. These gangsters are known and they must be brought to book.
The MaShurugwi gang capitalises on the disorganisation within the illegal artisanal gold mining syndicates. After the unfortunate events at Battlefields in Kadoma, where human lives were lost due to the unregulated and chaotic nature of artisanal mining in Zimbabwe. It is heartening to note that lessons were learnt and that all concerned stakeholders undertook to bring sanity and order to the scheme. It is hoped that this will also put an end to the criminal gang deliriously called MaShurugwi.
An instalment of the havoc caused by these criminals may be found on my earlier blog (https://zimcriminology.wordpress.com/2019/02/14/makorokoza-machetes-and-knobkerries/).
Just like Chipangano and the Vanguard, Al-Shabaab and MaShurugwi must be simply called out by their handlers otherwise the police must do their job as per the dictates of the Constitution. The people of Kwekwe want peace and security. The locals, where gold is abundant, must also benefit without fear or victimisation. It’s time Al-Shabaab and MaShurugwi are dealt with conclusively.
Besides the above named criminal gangs, other gangs are formed for completely different reasons but latter on morphed into criminal gangs. Some gangs are formed just for fun- a subculture within the larger community. To challenge the system.These are mostly teenage gangs. In the US there were Chicago gangs- the Crips and the Bloods. In South Africa they have or had the Crews and Cliques and the Wonder Kids is still an active gang. Zimbabwe we had the Star Force and we have the Dry Bones.
The gangs maybe street gangs, prison gangs or even female gangs as long as they have a common purpose, membership will grow. El-Chapo was more effective behind bars- he corrupted the whole Colombian security and criminal justice system until the Americans intervened.
That both the Star Force and the Dry Bones were both formed in Bulawayo doesn’t necessarily mean that there were or there are no teenage gangs in other parts of the country. These are the groups which came into conflict with the law and they drew media attention. There might be even more dangerous crime gangs operating on the underground.
Unlike in countries like US and South Africa where academic researchers can easily access information from Government institutions, Zimbabwe is too restrictive- information within the custody of the police and the prisons and correctional services is regarded as top security. A case in point occurred in 2012 (https://www.newsday.co.zw/2012/11/ex-cio-agent-arrested-over-violence-report/). In other countries civilian institutions offer study programmes like Police Science Penology and War Studies on a competitive basis. In Zimbabwe such studies are, to a large extent, a preserve of practitioners within those fields. It is understable that the National Defence University, Zimbabwe Staff College and Zimbabwe Military Academy are the preserve of the security sector but institutions like the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) and the like must be given the latitude to carry out independent research which can be accessed by the ordinary citizens. The purpose of research is to advance knowledge and find solutions to problems in society.
The information available about the Star Force gang and the Dry Bones is from newspaper articles, hence it carries less weight than if it was from peer-reviewed journals or academic books.
All the same, at its peak, it is reported that Star Force had about 80 members and it had specialised departments- Theft, House-breaking, Robbery, Pick-pocketing and Fake employment agency. The police managed to break up the crime gang in the mid 1990s.
The Dry Bones gang is composed of both boys and girls aged between 13- 17 years. The group operates in the high density areas and its into petty crime. The fact that the gang members are reported to move in groups of 15-20 makes it a dangerous gang. Their behaviour or reaction to situations is determined by group behaviour. Where individual members would have reacted differently they end up responding to suit the group dynamics- the so called ‘mob psychology’. But as the gang members grow up they might graduate into hardened criminals who will commit more serious crimes.
For now, besides the Al-Shabaab and MaShurugwi, the police seems to be on top of the game as far as the issue of crime gangs are concerned.
The Truth! 