Online Reporter
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Munamato Mutevedzi has called for the establishment of a joint security taskforce to tackle the problem of machete wielding gangs that are causing havoc in mining areas where they are killing people and committing other crimes like rape.
Justice Mutevedzi said the judiciary alone cannot restore order in the mining areas without the co-ordinated efforts of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP, the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and other security agencies.
He said the rise in the killings and other violent crimes linked to illegal mining in gold-rich regions was alarming and was now a security threat.
Justice Mutevedzi who is presiding over the High Court circuit in Gweru, said nearly half of the murder cases before the circuit court are linked to illegal mining disputes and gang violence.
He said the hotspots in the Midlands province are Shurugwi, Kwekwe, Mberengwa, Mvuma and Zvishavane.
Justice Mutevedzi said the brutality associated with machete gangs and rogue artisanal miners had reached crisis levels, tearing communities apart and overwhelming the police.
“What we are witnessing in the mining areas is a complete breakdown of law and order. They kill, maim and terrorise communities with impunity. This is no longer a policing issue, it is gradually becoming a security threat,” he said.
Justice Mutevedzi said there was an urgent need to dismantle the criminal syndicates operating under the guise of artisanal mining.
In 2020, police launched a massive operation code named Isitsheketsha kasiphele/Chikorokoza Ngachipere/No to Machete Gangs.
This was in response to an upsurge in cases of murder, rape, robbery and assault.
The machete wielding gangs were at first confined to mining areas where they fought battles with rival gangs over mining claims or ore but some of the gangs later moved to urban areas where they were committing murder, robberies and rape.
This prompted Parliament to institute a probe to unearth the origins of the gangs and also find out how they were operating, the impact of their actions to communities and what needed to be done to address the problem.
Following the police blitz, thousands of machete wielding criminals were arrested but it seems new gangs have surfaced.
We totally agree with Justice Mutevedzi that the police, the army and other security agencies should establish a security taskforce to tackle this menace.
There is urgent need to rid communities of these criminal elements that are causing people sleepless nights.
