Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba, [email protected]
A High Court judge has sounded the alarm over a disturbing rise in killings and violent crimes linked to illegal mining, warning that the lawlessness gripping gold-rich regions now constitutes a national security threat.
Presiding over the Bulawayo High Court circuit in Gweru, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi said the brutality associated with machete gangs and rogue artisanal miners had reached crisis levels, tearing communities apart and overwhelming law enforcement agencies.
“What we are witnessing in mining areas is a complete breakdown of order. They kill, maim and terrorise with impunity. This is no longer merely a policing issue — it is gradually evolving into a national security crisis,” he said.
Justice Mutevedzi revealed that nearly half of the murder cases before the circuit court were linked to illegal mining disputes and gang violence, with hotspots including Shurugwi, Kwekwe, Mberengwa, Mvuma and Zvishavane.
“The violence perpetrated by these machete-wielding gangs has escalated beyond mere turf wars. Entire communities are living in fear, while legitimate mining operations are being severely disrupted,” he said.
He called for the establishment of a joint security taskforce to tackle the menace, stressing that the judiciary alone could not restore order without the co-ordinated efforts of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and other enforcement agencies.
“A multi-agency approach is the only viable solution to dismantle these criminal syndicates operating under the guise of artisanal mining,” he said.
Meanwhile, in one of the latest cases presided over by Justice Mutevedzi, Musani David Moyo (28), of Chief Sogwala area in Lower Gweru, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison after fatally stabbing Lawrence Sibanda (57) during a violent confrontation.
Prosecutor Mr Talent Tadenyika, told the court that the incident occurred on August 12 this year, when Moyo attacked Sibanda with an Okapi knife following a brief altercation.
The court heard that Sibanda had attempted to defuse the situation, urging Moyo to show respect to his elders, but the accused plunged the knife into his chest, killing him instantly before fleeing the scene.
Police later apprehended him, and a post-mortem report conducted at United Bulawayo Hospital (UBH) confirmed that Sibanda died from haemorrhagic shock and a perforated lung.
The surge in artisanal mining-related violence has emerged as one of the country’s most pressing law and order challenges. The unregulated gold rush, particularly in the Midlands Province, has given rise to machete-wielding gangs known as MaShurugwi, who engage in extortion, robbery and deadly turf wars.
Recently, police launched operations such as Operation Chikorokoza Ngachipere/Isitsheketsha Kasiphele, restoring order in mining areas by confronting the machete gangs head-on, arresting large numbers of offenders and thwarting a wave of violence that threatened to disrupt gold mining and deliveries to Fidelity Printers and Refiners.
Last year, 57 000 illegal gold miners, machete gangs and other criminal elements in mining communities were arrested nationwide under the same operation.
