In the industrial town of Ruwa, Zimbabwe, two men dressed in borrowed uniforms walked through a manufacturing facility as though they belonged there — a quiet deception that unraveled in thrown stones and a brick's impact. Tinei Makaripe and Pungurai Mukambachaza now face the courts in Harare, charged with the armed robbery of US$108,000 from Xinda Castings, a Chinese-owned firm, in what appears to be one chapter of a longer pattern of coordinated violence against businesses. Their arrest reminds us that the line between invisibility and exposure can be as thin as a worker's alarm cry, and tha
Two remanded over US$108,000 Chinese firm heist in Ruwa
Two workers were intercepted and forced at gunpoint into offices during the robbery; one suspect was struck by a brick during the pursuit.
Workers caught him after a brick struck him mid-flight
Mark
So they actually dressed up as workers to get inside the building?
Mimi
Yes—they scaled the wall, changed into company uniforms and helmets in a changing room, and walked around like they belonged there. It's a fairly bold approach.
Luke
Do we know how they got the uniforms and helmets? Were they stolen beforehand, or did they find them on site?
Mimi
The source doesn't say. It just says they put them on in the changing room.
Mark
And the workers caught one of them because he was hit by a brick?
Mimi
Right. As they were running away, workers threw stones. Makaripe was behind the others and got struck. He fell, and that's when they grabbed him.
Luke
So the workers physically apprehended him themselves—this wasn't police arriving and making the arrest?
Mimi
Correct. The workers caught him at the scene. Police arrested him there, but the workers are the ones who stopped him.
Mark
What about the money? They got away with most of it?
Mimi
Only US$4,900 was recovered from Mukambachaza's home. The other US$103,100 is still missing.
Luke
And we don't know if that US$4,900 was his cut, or if it was just what he happened to have on him, or what?
Mimi
The source doesn't clarify that. It just says police recovered it from his home.
Mark
Are there other people involved who haven't been caught?
Mimi
Yes. The State says they had accomplices who remain at large. And the pair are also charged with other robberies—one in June, one in September—so it looks like they've been working as part of a larger group.
Le Pouls
- Two armed men disguised as factory workers infiltrated Xinda Castings, held employees at gunpoint, and walked out with US$108,000 in a satchel — a robbery planned with unsettling precision.
- Workers who raised the alarm and threw stones managed what security could not: one suspect was felled by a brick mid-flight and captured on the spot.
- The second suspect escaped, but police traced him to his home, recovering only US$4,900 — leaving over US$103,000 unaccounted for and accomplices still at large.
- The pair are not first-time offenders in this spree — they face linked charges from a botched office robbery the day before and a service station heist months earlier.
- Both men are remanded in custody, denied routine bail, and directed to the High Court, as investigators continue chasing a larger, still-unnamed network.
In the industrial town of Ruwa, Zimbabwe, two men dressed in borrowed uniforms walked through a manufacturing facility as though they belonged there — a quiet deception that unraveled in thrown stones and a brick's impact. Tinei Makaripe and Pungurai Mukambachaza now face the courts in Harare, charged with the armed robbery of US$108,000 from Xinda Castings, a Chinese-owned firm, in what appears to be one chapter of a longer pattern of coordinated violence against businesses. Their arrest reminds us that the line between invisibility and exposure can be as thin as a worker's alarm cry, and that justice, when it arrives, often arrives imperfectly — with most of the money still missing and most of the accomplices still free.
On the morning of September 13, two men in company uniforms and hard hats walked calmly through Xinda Castings in Ruwa, Zimbabwe. They were not employees. Tinei Makaripe, 43, and Pungurai Mukambachaza, 49, had scaled the perimeter wall, changed into stolen work clothes, and entered the Chinese-owned manufacturing firm armed with pistols and accompanied by unidentified accomplices.
Inside, they intercepted two workers returning from the toilet and forced them at gunpoint toward the offices, where they confronted Zhan Lingyue, a Chinese national. They ransacked the room, found a satchel holding US$108,000, and moved to leave. It was in the flight that their fates diverged. Workers raised the alarm and began hurling stones. Makaripe, trailing behind, was struck by a brick and fell. He was seized at the scene. Mukambachaza and the others escaped.
Police later arrested Mukambachaza at his home, recovering US$4,900 and a cellphone linked to Makaripe. The remaining US$103,100 was not found, and the rest of the gang remains unidentified.
The Xinda Castings robbery was not the pair's first. The day before, they allegedly broke into offices at Kurima Centre in Msasa, armed with pistols, machetes, iron bars, and a bolt cutter, before fleeing when a security reaction team arrived. They also face charges from a June robbery at Redan Service Station in Glaudina, where a gang in balaclavas confronted fuel attendants and a guard, taking cash, a cellphone, and fuel coupons.
Both men appeared before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa and were remanded in custody, directed to seek bail at the High Court. The investigation remains open, with most of the stolen money and most of the people who took it still unaccounted for.
On September 13, workers at Xinda Castings in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, watched as two men in company uniforms and helmets walked through their facility. The men were not employees. They were armed robbers who had scaled the perimeter wall, changed into stolen work clothes, and were about to take US$108,000 in cash from the Chinese-owned manufacturing firm.
Tinei Makaripe, 43, and Pungurai Mukambachaza, 49, appeared before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa on charges of armed robbery. The State's account of what happened that morning is methodical and specific. The two men, working with accomplices still unidentified, entered the facility with pistols. They intercepted two workers returning from the toilet and forced them toward the offices at gunpoint. Inside, they confronted Zhan Lingyue, a Chinese national, and demanded money. They ransacked the office, located a satchel containing US$108,000, and prepared to leave.
What happened next separated the two men's fates. As they fled the building, workers raised an alarm and began throwing stones. Makaripe, running behind his accomplices, was struck by a brick. He fell. The workers caught him at the scene. Mukambachaza escaped with the others.
The arrest of Makaripe did not immediately lead to the recovery of the full amount. Police later arrested Mukambachaza at his home, where they recovered US$4,900 of the stolen cash. Mukambachaza also led officers to a cellphone that had belonged to Makaripe. The remaining US$103,100 has not been recovered, and the other members of the robbery team remain at large.
This robbery was not an isolated incident. The pair face additional charges for an attempted robbery at Kurima Centre in Msasa on September 12—two days before the Xinda Castings heist. In that case, they allegedly broke into offices armed with a pistol, iron bars, machetes, and a bolt cutter, but fled when a Safeguard reaction team arrived. They are also charged in connection with a June 22 robbery at Redan Service Station in Glaudina, where the gang allegedly used pistols and balaclavas to confront two fuel attendants and a security guard, taking US$500, a cellphone, a panic button, pepper spray, and fuel coupons.
Both men were remanded in custody and instructed to apply for bail at the High Court. The investigation continues, with multiple accomplices still unaccounted for and the bulk of the stolen money unrecovered.
Citations marquantes
The robbers scaled the company's precast wall, entered a changing room and put on company work suits and helmets to disguise themselves as employees— State's account of the robbery method
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Crime & Justice