daniel chigunwe
Crime Reporter
A 36-year-old man died at Kapara Mine in Matopo after he was assaulted by four men who had accused him of stealing three grams of gold.
The four suspects— Ellias Phiri (36), Luwine Pasikwane (33), Tafadzwa Bauren (24) and Kudzanai Chinzvenda (27) have since been arrested.
They are accused of assaulting Thembani Moyo (36), all over the body with iron bars.
National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the incident.
“On March 14, 2022, police in Matopo arrested Ellias Phiri aged 36, Luwine Pasikwane aged 33, Tafadzwa Bauren aged 24 and Kudzanai Chinzvenda aged 27 in connection with a case of murder which occurred at Kapara Mine on March 1, 2022.
“The suspects allegedly assaulted Thembani Moyo, all over the body with iron bars, on allegations of theft of three grams of gold from one of the suspects. The victim sustained serious injuries and his condition kept on deteriorating. He was referred to Mpilo Hospital on March 7, 2022 where he died on March 12, 2022 while admitted,” he said.
He said the suspects were still assisting with investigations.
This is not the first time that a person has been killed over gold ore and such murder cases have been on the increase countrywide.
Early this month, the body of an unknown man believed to have been part of a 20-man gang that were involved in shoot-out with a security guard after raiding a mine in Shamva was found with a gunshot wound at the back.
The incident occurred at Forbes Mine following an exchange of gunfire and police also discovered a sack of gold ore near the body.
Investigations revealed that about 20 men believed to be illegal gold panners raided the mine to steal gold ore and were confronted by the security guard at around 2am.
Following the gunshots, the security guard later ran and called some mine employees for assistance.
A report was made to police who attended the scene and discovered the body, which has been taken to a local hospital mortuary for post mortem.
Online Reporter