MUTARE– Four members of the notorious machete-wielding illegal gold panners, popularly referred to as MaShurugwi were nabbed for allegedly invading Redwing Mine in Penhalonga.
By Donald Nyarota
The quartet was nabbed after they attacked security guards with machetes and axes, damaging property worth thousands of dollars in the melee, appeared before Mutare’s Magistrate court.
The quartet of Zondai Urayayi (24), Theophelus Gapara (28), Godfrey Dzingirayi (42) and Darlington Mutsingo (26) had forcibly demanded access to mine for gold, face charges of contravening Section 113 (1) (a)of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).
The four appeared before Mutare magistrate Miss Prisca Tendai Manhimbi with a plea of not guilty to the charges when they appeared before courts, with God’swish Dzivakwe representing the state.
It is alleged that the suspects who were in the company of accomplices, who are still at large after escaping, pounced on the mine last Friday at around 10am armed with machetes, knobkerries and axes.
They allegedly broke into the security guards’ cabin armed with machetes and axes demanding access to mine for gold.
The suspects were denied destroyed to the cabins, where three security guards — Trybet Madzikatire, Denford Katyora and Walter Mhosva, where manning for their day duty.
The alert security guards managed to fire warning shots into the air leading the accused to scurry for cover.
It is also alleged that in the ensuing melee, the suspects also stole a shovel, a pick and a 15-metre-long rope.
A report was made and investigations were carried out by the police leading to the arrest of the quartet, with stolen property was recovered at one of the suspect’s homesteads.
Machete gangs have wreaked havoc at gold mining sites across the country, causing deaths and injuries and threatening the entire gold mining industry.
In December 2019, a suspected member of the machete wielding MaShurugwi gang was fatally shot at disused Odzi 2 Mine around 40km from Mutare, which was suspended by the Ministry of Mines few years ago, where artisanal miners have been eking out a living.
