Ten armed robbers stole more than US$36,000 during a midnight raid on homes along Acacia Drive in Westgate, Harare, tying up residents and security guards before escaping with cash, a shotgun and a CCTV recorder.
The gang, wearing black balaclavas and gloves, entered the property by jumping over a precast wall. They were armed with two unidentified pistols, an axe and a hammer.
The first people confronted were a security guard and his wife, who were asleep in a cabin. The robbers ordered the couple to lie down and bound them with a dressing-gown belt. They took US$20 from beneath a pillow before ordering the guard to call a second guard who was working at a nearby house.
When the second guard arrived, the robbers seized him and demanded his shotgun and three rounds of ammunition. They handcuffed him, then moved both guards and the woman to another house on Acacia Drive. The three were made to sit in a bamboo-covered area near the main gate while one robber stayed behind to watch them.
The other members of the group approached two Chinese nationals sitting in a car and took US$28,000. They then entered the house and demanded more money. Before leaving, they removed a digital video recorder used by the home’s CCTV system.
The robbers tied up people inside the house. As they left through the gate, they came across another Chinese businessman, assaulted him and took US$8,000. The case was reported at Mabelreign Police Station.
Four Chinese nationals and two security guards were among those targeted in the raid. The cash described as stolen totals US$36,020, in addition to the shotgun, ammunition and CCTV recorder.
The Westgate attack came days after a separate armed robbery in Tynwald South. On 28 October, a woman was asleep in her bedroom with her four children when two robbers entered through a door that had been closed but left unlocked.
The men took a kitchen knife from the room and threatened her while demanding cash. She told them she had none. They searched the bedroom, took her car keys from a table and tied her hands and legs with her doek and an electric cable.
The woman was dragged outside and forced into the boot of her Suzuki Solio, which she used for inDrive trips. The robbers drove her to her employer’s home in Tynwald South and ordered her to direct them there. They left her at the address and drove away in the vehicle, taking her Samsung A76 mobile phone as well. The case was reported at Marlborough Police Station.
Westgate has experienced armed robberies before. The number of cases in the area declined after police increased night patrols and carried out awareness campaigns, but the latest home invasion has renewed concern among residents.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi was not immediately available for comment on the Westgate incident.
In a separate development, six men have been arrested in Beitbridge in connection with a series of robberies targeting businesses and members of the public. Police say the group is linked to 14 cases across Beitbridge and surrounding areas, and that detectives moved in after receiving information that further robberies were being planned.
The men are Tapiwa Trymore Moyo, 38, also known as Kudakwashe Mudzingwa; Clatton Dube, 36; Philimon Bernard Dambwara, 34; Nyasha Muparira, 45; Jameson Chikozho, 25; and Stanley Shumba, 22.
Criminal Investigations Department spokesperson Detective Inspector Rachel Muteweri said the arrests followed investigations into violent robberies and the recovery of stolen property and weapons.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police has made a significant breakthrough in investigations into a series of violent armed robberies targeting members of the public and business premises in Beitbridge and surrounding areas. This follows the arrest of six accused persons and recovery of stolen property and weapons used in the commission of the crimes,” she said.
Investigators linked the cases to incidents between March and September 2026. The targets included service stations, lodges, private homes, business premises, a medical facility and members of the public. Police said the robbers used pistols to intimidate victims and steal cash, mobile phones, laptops and other valuables.
On 25 April, a group raided a church at Mashavire during a service. Worshippers were ordered to lie down and three were robbed of cash, mobile phones and a laptop.
On 20 May, robbers broke into a lodge room occupied by a guest and took US$2,710, R18,700 and a cellphone.
Police also linked the group to cases in Masvingo, Mwenezi and Gutu. In one Masvingo incident, the suspects posed as customers and lured a money changer to a secluded place, where he was robbed of R55,000 and a cellphone. Other cases under investigation were reported in Kuwadzana, Snake Park and White House in Harare, as well as Gweru and Murambinda.
Detectives tracked the suspects to Mfelandawonye in Beitbridge. Police said subsequent interviews led to the recovery of two Blow P29 air pistols and ammunition.
Muteweri praised members of the public for assisting the police and said the force would continue working with communities.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police remains committed to disrupting criminal networks through intelligence-led operations, thorough investigations and effective collaboration with communities,” she said.
Muparira was convicted on 30 October and sentenced to seven years in prison. Shumba was found not guilty in a robbery case in Beitbridge on 24 September. The remaining accomplices were remanded in custody to 6 November for trial.