A suspected armed robber accused of taking part in a lengthy series of raids across Harare appeared in court this week after investigators linked him to attacks in which cash, vehicles and valuables worth over US$500,000 were stolen.
Witness Hlongwane, 40, was arrested on 25 September and appeared before Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa on three counts of robbery. He was remanded in custody until 13 October, with the court directing him to apply for bail at the High Court.
Prosecutor Lawrence Gangarahwe told the court that Hlongwane was arrested after investigations into the robberies. During the inquiry, he allegedly made voluntary indications, showing detectives how some of the offences were carried out and leading them to locations connected to the raids.
Another suspect, Dingani Mpofu, is already on remand facing the same charges. The State says the two men were part of a wider gang that used pistols, rifles and explosives to attack homes and companies between June and July.
The first incident took place at about 10pm on 29 June at the home of Sekeni Manyunguvadzi. The gang allegedly jumped over a precast wall and entered the property before moving towards the bedroom. Manyunguvadzi was confronted at gunpoint and forced to lie down while the attackers broke into a storeroom.
They allegedly took a safe containing US$5,000, three motor vehicle keys, four registration books, a panic button and a title deed. The property was loaded into Manyunguvadzi’s vehicle, which was abandoned on Smith Crescent, about 200 metres from the house.
Police later recovered the vehicle, the safe and the other listed property. The cash was missing. A separate account of the investigation said the safe was recovered in Epworth, where detectives continued tracing the gang’s movements.
Two days later, on 1 July, the group allegedly turned its attention to a company in the Richards Road area. Silon Chapadza, 32, was working as a night security guard when the attackers arrived carrying rifles and pistols.
Chapadza was allegedly tied up with shoelaces and pieces of cloth. His head was covered with a work-suit jacket before the gang moved into the cash office. The robbers allegedly used explosives to blow open a safe and escaped with US$39,888, ZiG74,270 and R750.
They also allegedly took assorted whisky and soft drinks. When they fled, they left behind live ammunition, damaged cartridges, explosive materials and capped fuses. Nothing from that robbery had been recovered when the matter came before the court.
The third raid, on 20 July, was at Heliconvest Company (Pvt) Ltd on Nursery Road in Mount Pleasant. The gang allegedly scaled the perimeter wall and entered the premises, where employees and visitors were attacked and robbed.
Among those named in the court account were Blessed Mwanesayo, who allegedly lost US$10, William Socha, who allegedly lost US$200, and Kudai Mapanzure, who allegedly lost US$200. Other people were also robbed of varying sums.
The attackers allegedly took mobile phones, headphones, a tablet, company vehicle keys and a wristwatch valued at US$50,000. They also allegedly found a safe in the main bedroom containing US$37,694 and 11 mining certificates. The safe was loaded into a Toyota Hilux, registration number AGO 7110, which was recovered on 22 July.
The detailed charge account listed stolen cash in several currencies, together with the watch, electronics, documents and vehicles. It recorded US$89,422 as recovered. A broader prosecution summary placed the value of property and cash linked to the raids at more than US$500,000, including a separate valuation of the Heliconvest haul that covered cash, valuables and vehicles.
The court heard that Hlongwane was implicated by Mpofu, who was arrested on 22 August. Hlongwane’s arrest followed weeks of investigation into the attacks, which shared several features: heavily armed men arriving at night, victims being restrained, safes being targeted and getaway vehicles being abandoned or later recovered.
The case has also revived attention around Hlongwane’s earlier brushes with the law. In February 2016, when he was 29, he was identified as the alleged leader of a three-man gang accused of breaking into the Filabusi Post Office and using explosives to open its strong room. More than US$1,000 in cash and airtime was reported stolen. A prison guard and a former police detective were also linked to that case, and Hlongwane was refused bail after the court heard that he faced similar robbery allegations in Bulawayo and had been identified in connection with a house break-in in Gwanda.
In April 2023, Hlongwane and four accomplices were implicated in a violent housebreaking in Tshabalala, Bulawayo. A sleeping family was allegedly tied to a headboard while the attackers searched the home and took foreign and local currency. The case formed part of a series of violent break-ins investigated in the city.
In August 2025, police arrested Hlongwane and two others after a midnight confrontation on Khami Road. A security guard had reportedly seen men cutting padlocks at DA Garage near the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and alerted police. When officers intercepted the suspected getaway car, the driver opened fire. Police shot out the tyres and the driver was injured. Hlongwane and another suspect were later found hiding in a backyard with a bolt cutter and a pick. Investigators said the men admitted they were looking for cash.
Hlongwane and a co-accused were also arrested near an AfricaBet betting shop in Bulawayo in an earlier case involving unlawful entry and possession of explosives. They were later acquitted after the court found that the State had not proved they had done more than park nearby while waiting for transport.
The latest Harare case comes as police investigate a separate series of armed robberies in and around the capital. On 13 September, two men appeared in court over the alleged robbery of a Chinese-owned company in Ruwa, where a gang reportedly escaped with US$108,000.
The Ruwa suspects, Tinei Makaripe, 43, and Pungurai Mukambachaza, 49, were accused of storming Xinda Castings with accomplices who remain at large. The gang allegedly scaled the perimeter wall, disguised themselves in company work suits and helmets, and forced two employees to take them to the offices.
They allegedly confronted a Chinese national, Zhan Lingyue, and fled with a satchel containing the money. Workers chased them, throwing stones at the fleeing robbers. Makaripe, who was running behind the others, was struck by a brick and captured. Police later arrested Mukambachaza at his home, where US$4,900 was allegedly recovered.
Investigators also linked the pair to an alleged robbery at a service station in Glaudina on 22 June, when US$500, fuel coupons and a mobile phone were reportedly taken from a security guard. They were further linked to an attempted break-in at Kurima Centre in Msasa on 12 September. That operation ended when a Safeguard reaction team arrived, forcing the suspects to flee empty-handed.
The two Harare cases have brought renewed focus to armed gangs targeting businesses, cash offices and residences with knowledge of where money and valuables are kept. In Hlongwane’s case, detectives are continuing to trace the wider group, the weapons and explosives allegedly used in the raids, and property that remains missing.
Hlongwane is expected to return to court on 13 October while the investigation continues.