Chronicle Editor
THE sun had set on Vubachikwe Mine, casting the rugged terrain in an eerie glow. The once-bustling site was now a shadow of its former self, its operations hamstrung by sabotage and vandalism.
Some time ago, riotous thugs had conducted an illegal strike, leading to the scaling down of operations on the gold mine. The mine had become a target for saboteurs and vandals, with no less than three transformers being vandalised. The damage was irreparable, and the mine’s management was grappling with the crippling effects of the attacks.
But hope glimmered on the horizon. President Mnangagwa’s message this week resonated with the mine’s philosophy of zero tolerance for vandalism. The President equated vandalism to treason and called for closer collaboration between stakeholders in the criminal justice system and communities to end such criminal acts.
“As President, I remain gravely concerned with the continued vandalism and theft of our country’s energy infrastructure. Stakeholders in the criminal justice system together with communities throughout the country are urged to collaborate more closely towards ending such criminal treasonous acts,” said President Mnangagwa addressing delegates at the international renewable energy conference in Victoria Falls on Thursday.
The mine’s spokesperson, Robert Mukondiwa, applauded the President’s strong statement, saying that it would help shine a light on the issue and hopefully make the vandals think twice before committing such crimes.
“It is notable that the biggest voice in the land, the first citizen himself, has called out sabotage for what it truly is — treason! Anyone who acts in a way that is meant to incapacitate the smooth provision of services to a community with the aim of causing insurrection against authorities including Government is in effect a terrorist and an actor in a treasonous script.
“Our Mine Manager Mr None Kananji has repeatedly put it on record that we are scaling up our efforts to deal with these saboteurs who are the root cause of discomfort for an innocent majority making them vulnerable even to life-threatening diseases including cholera,” said Mukondiwa.
The Managing Director of Duration Gold, Allan Dolan, also lauded the President’s message, saying that it sent a message to the perpetrators that their acts were a serious offense.
He believed that anyone whose acts went against the spirit of improving the livelihoods of Zimbabweans was an enemy that deserved strong condemnation, as delivered by the president.
“As we gear towards improving the livelihoods of Zimbabweans, anyone whose acts go against that spirit is certainly an enemy that deserves the strong condemnation that the President delivered,” said Dolan.
Online Reporter