Online Reporter
BARELY two months after having fended off a brazen and audacious attempt to invade their private ML16 mining lease, private mining outfit Duration Gold, that runs Gwanda-based gold mine Vubachikwe is faced with another well-orchestrated attempt to carve off its legally leased land.
Last week, the mine recorded the invasion of the lease by a horde of operators claiming to be legally licensed by the parent ministry to build a plant on mine land, with indications that the invaders were in fact even planning to set up permanent infrastructure illegally on Vubachikwe Mine.
The team had already brought on, earth moving equipment as well as building materials including thousands of bricks as well as having cleared a large tract of land to pave way for their illegal operation.
Mine management had an altercation with the , as they sought to establish the basis on which the team was on the ground, as the invaders name dropped as well as alleged they had papers and authorisation to be on the land from parent ministries while the Zimbabwe Republic Police, which had gone on the ground to keep the order briefly managed to have them halt operations before they resumed again by late Friday afternoon.
Mine management revealed they were taking the legal route as well as approaching the ministry of mines to ensure quick and non-dramatic resolution of the current dispute and impasse.
“It is true, we are facing this current unfortunate incident and have engaged our lawyers who are burning the midnight oil to halt this illegality albeit in as little disruptive a manner possible,” said mine spokesperson, Mr Robert Mukondiwa.
“You are aware that whenever the cat drags in these illegal types who have a habit of name-dropping and trying to politicise invasions, the biggest loser is our country that then is faced with muck on its name and smearing the good name of the country, in some instances our President, as unfortunately happened last time.
“So, our team is going the legal route as well as establishing the identities of those who are really behind this invasion so that we name and shame the real culprits and not have them name-drop and smear the good name of public officials as well as other public servants and the name of the nation.
“Hence our quiet yet empathic approach to uncovering the characters behind current machinations.
“Of course, we will also reveal who will have assisted them in pushing this illegal invasion by way of analysing the document, they are alleging they have as backing to set up and operate here,” said Mr Mukondiwa.
Illegal mining has become a problem, the country with a number of cases being reported across the nation, with mine owners and operators increasingly having to come up with creative and effective ways of dealing with the scourge.
“With gold prices looking attractive, there will always be rouges attempting to try their luck on various fronts often teaming up with low-level petty criminal elements within the mining sector and regulatory bodies to illegally invade spoken for leases and mines, but of course, in a land where the rule of law is sacrosanct as ours, the end result will always be a clear victory for the law.
“In fact, these legal battles we often face are necessary to send a message to other rogue elements that may want to illegally appropriate leases and mines that, we live in a land with the rule of law and we shall seek punitive legal results that shall help whip these sort of miscreants into line,” said Mr Mukondiwa.
The legal challenge to the current invasion is expected to be served on Monday 24 March, 2025.
Sidumisile Mabena