By A Correspondent| Information Secretary Nick Mangwana has blamed returning Zimbabweans from South African prisons who were released during the lockdown, for the recent spike in crime in the country.

This is despite the fact that some of the criminals involved in armed robberies being unmasked as either members of the military or police with some of them using AK47 guns commonly used by the state security.

“During Lockdown we had no option but accept over 500 hardcore criminals who were detained at Lindela Holding Facilities in South Africa because they were our citizens. The consequence is a spike in violent crime in our country but our Security Forces are up to the task,” said Mangwana.

Zimbabwe has witnessed a recent spike in armed robberies in major cities such as Harare and Bulawayo believed to be caused by the tight economic situation in the country.