Online Reporter
Prosper Dembedza-Herald Correspondent
A HARARE man has appeared in court after he was arrested while mining for gold at a house in Marlborough.
Chiripayi Chipandire was charged with contravening the Mines and Mining Act when he appeared before a Harare magistrate
He was granted US$500 bail. Chipandire, who is being represented by Tawanda Takaindisa, is being charged with failure to obey a lawful order of the Explosives Act by acquiring explosives without a valid explosives permit.
He is also being charged with firing an explosive or conducting any blasting operation without a blasting licence and also prospecting for minerals without a licence or permit.
It is the State’s case that sometime in early 2024 the accused met Douglas Walsh on the streets of Harare and the latter mentioned that there was a hidden treasure at number 4 Wallington Close, Marlborough, Harare.
Initially, the accused hired an excavator and started excavating along the road close to the gate of the mentioned house and he stopped after an outcry from the residence.
The State alleges that the accused and Walsh approached the owner of the premises, Tinashe Rwodzi, in October 2024, who permitted them to hunt for the treasure.
The accused brought his employees and started digging for the alleged treasure. Initially, they were given a green light to hunt for the treasure by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and permission to blast under strict conditions was given.
Sometime in January 2025, the residents complained again, leading to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development issuing an order for the accused to stop operations.
The accused briefly stopped and resumed operations of digging shafts and blasting without the permission of the said Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
It is alleged that on July 17, 2026, the accused person’s employees were arrested at the scene whilst digging the shafts and police recovered explosives, cab fuses, drill bit, Windlass, rope, demolition hammer and bunga made of conveyor belts.
