For two days, Shereni Manase appeared to be running ahead of the police investigation. The 32-year-old allegedly escaped from the scene of a $108,000 robbery at a company in Ruwa. Two days later, detectives tracked him to his parents’ home, where he reportedly ran into a neighbouring property after officers opened fire. He was hit four times, but still managed to disappear.
His flight ended in Murisa Park, Seke, where detectives found him nursing the wounds he had suffered during the escape.
Manase appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday alongside William Sanyanga. They face armed robbery and attempted murder allegations. The two were remanded in custody while investigations continue and were advised to approach the High Court for bail consideration. Lawrence Gangarahwe prosecuted.
The court appearance brought into focus a police pursuit that began with a daring raid at Xinda Castings in Ruwa on September 13. Investigators say the robbery was carried out by a gang that entered the company premises after scaling a precast wall while armed with pistols.
Once inside, the robbers allegedly went into a changing room and put on work suits and helmets. The clothing allowed them to look like employees as they moved through the premises.
The gang then allegedly seized two workers who had gone to the toilet and forced them towards the offices. The workers were marched through the premises as the robbers searched for money.
The State alleges that the gang broke into an office, demanded cash and ransacked the building before leaving with a satchel containing $108,000.
The escape began to unravel when other workers raised the alarm. As the robbers tried to climb over the perimeter wall using a metal ladder, workers threw stones at them.
One of the men, who was running behind the others, was struck by a brick. He fell to the ground and was caught by workers. Police say the arrested man later implicated Manase and other suspected accomplices, giving detectives a lead in the search for the rest of the gang.
The hunt quickly moved beyond Ruwa. On September 15, detectives reportedly saw Manase driving a Toyota Vitz as he arrived at his parents’ residence. The moment he noticed the officers, he allegedly jumped into a neighbouring property and fled.
For several days, Manase remained out of reach. Then, on September 21, detectives received information that he was hiding in Murisa Park, Seke. The information led officers to the hideout where they arrested him while he was recovering from the shooting.
Police said they established that he had four gunshot wounds.
The arrest came as the Zimbabwe Republic Police widened its search for people believed to be connected to the Ruwa robbery. Three other men have been named in connection with the case: Obert Tinarwo, who is known as “Mambo Dhuterere”, James Dhlora, also known as “Kasongo” or “DB”, and David Majagada, known as “Kule Dhivha”.
Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the force was intensifying its pursuit of armed robbery syndicates operating across the country.
“The ZRP warns armed robbery syndicates that there is no going back in the fight against armed robbery cases throughout the country,” the police statement read.
Nyathi added: “Criminals who choose to confront or engage in a shoot-out with police officers will have themselves to blame and will be dealt with in accordance with the law.”
The police statement said the Seke shoot-out involved Manase and linked him directly to the robbery at the company in Borders Estate, Ruwa, where $108,000 was stolen. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the named suspects, the Toyota Vitz or the stolen money to report to the nearest police station.
The Ruwa case is also connected to a series of other robberies and attempted raids listed in court papers.
The State alleges that Manase was involved in an attempted robbery at Kurima Centre in Msasa on September 12, a day before the Xinda Castings raid. The gang allegedly carried a pistol, iron bars, machetes and a bolt cutter. The men reportedly scaled a wall and broke into several offices.
Security guards fired warning shots, but the gang allegedly continued breaking into the offices. They eventually fled empty-handed when a reaction team arrived.
Court papers also link Manase and Gabriel Mukambachaza, 42, to two earlier armed robberies. On March 12, the pair and their alleged accomplices are accused of raiding Africa Steel in Southerton. The gang allegedly confronted and disarmed security guards before blasting open safes and stealing $14,118.
On June 22, the same group is accused of targeting a service station in Glaudina. Workers and a security guard were allegedly confronted during the raid. The robbers are accused of taking a cellphone, a baton, pepper spray, fuel coupons and about $500.
Mukambachaza has since appeared in court in connection with further robbery allegations. He was previously arrested at his rural home in Rusape, where police reportedly recovered cash, firearms, ammunition, handcuffs and other equipment suspected to have been used in robberies. He has also been sentenced to an effective 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to offences that included armed robbery, attempted armed robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Manase’s arrest came against the backdrop of another violent cash robbery in Bulawayo. A 52-year-old businessman, Tadius Rutanhira, was shot dead outside his shop after closing his business and carrying a bag containing $10,000. Three armed suspects reportedly confronted him near a service station along Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street before shooting him twice in the chest and fleeing with the money.
The incident added urgency to the police operation, which is focused on armed groups targeting companies, service stations, cash carriers and business owners leaving their workplaces. The Ruwa investigation has meanwhile extended across several towns, from the industrial areas of Harare to Seke and Rusape.
The four wounds that failed to stop Manase from escaping the police pursuit eventually became the clue that led detectives to him. Blood left along his escape route pointed to the fact that he had been injured, while information about his movements finally revealed where he was hiding.
When officers reached the Murisa Park hideout, the man who had twice slipped away was no longer running. He was taken into custody and brought before the court, as detectives continued working to identify the other people linked to the robberies and trace the missing cash.
Police investigations into the alleged raids remain under way.