The ministry of Mines and Mining Development has resolved to mediate in the raging dispute between Chantelle Chikafu and John Maungwa.
The two have for the better part of last year been rowing bitterly over mining boundaries at Umfurudzi in Shamva leading to a High Court order instructing the Mashonaland Central provincial mining director to engage the two parties.
This is the second determination after the initial one spearheaded by a team led by provincial mining director Tariro Ndlovu.
This particular determination was done by a team led by Manicaland provincial mining director Owen Dube.
“Following a High Court Order issues on 20th October 2020 under case number HC2595/20, a dispute hearing was conducted on the 16th and 17th December 2020 followed by a ground visit on the 18th of December 2020 with both parties present,” reads the determination by the Mines Ministry.
“The following observations were noted 1a Wickman 23, initially mining block was approved for relocation from South to North of Umfurudzi river on 21 November 2017. The indication position of Wickman 23 on ground does not match it’s position as at registration. The disputed workings are outside boundaries of Wickman 23 at registration,” the determination reads.
Maungwa was therefore ordered to revert back to his original position as at registration while Chikafu was asked to adjust its registered coordinates to exclude area encroaching into Wickmen 23.
Contrary to a series of media reports, Chikafu’s lawyer Jivas Mudimu said the determination has said it all.
“The disputed land is within her land allocated to her through the special grant. She has gone through attacks in the media but all the stories were false as she was being victimised in this case,” he said.
Mudimu said the courts and Ministry of Mines and Mining development have done their job and the out come has quashed all the false reports that were pedeled against his client.
“There were a series of attacks in the media and surprisingly she has not been given chance to give her side. I am glad that she has been cleared of all this. She got the mine legally and it is actually Maungwa who was falsely claiming the peace of land,” he added.
Some sections of the media had linked Chikafu to Shamva North MP Oscar Gorerino which was false.
The same media house tried to again to link her with the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) which was false.
“I have already written to the media house in question demanding retraction of all the false stories,” said Mudimu.
