The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is investigating the shooting of 36-year-old Fungai Nhau at a Chinese-operated gold mine in Makosa, Mutoko District, in the early hours of October 9, 2025.
Police confirmed on X that a foreign national, Quijun Yu, 43, is in custody in connection with the incident.
According to police, Yu was on duty at about 2 a.m. when “several people pounced at the Boiler/Carbon room,” leading to the shooting.
“The ZRP is investigating the circumstances surrounding the case and will release more details in due course,” the statement said.
Social media version
Before the police statement, social media was awash with videos of Chinese nationals being assaulted by locals and others of police bringing order while the prevailing story was that four Chinese nationals had shot a mine worker over unpaid wages and dumped the body in nearby bushland.
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Company version
In a separate statement, the mining company said the shooting occurred during an attempted armed robbery.
It alleged that several armed men broke into the mine site around 12:33 a.m., and that the Chinese engineer on duty fired warning shots into the air using a legally registered firearm to deter the intruders.
The statement added that at about 7 a.m., a local employee found an injured man roughly one kilometre from the mine. The worker alerted a company translator, who notified the police. The man, later identified as Fungai Nhau, reportedly died before law-enforcement officers arrived.
The company further claimed that some villagers, unaware of the full situation, mistakenly believed the Chinese workers were responsible for foul play and confronted them, but police quickly intervened and restored order.
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