Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku [email protected]
TWO businessmen who are accused of stealing US$43,9 million worth of gold ore after excavating and extracting gold ore from the complainant’s mining area have appeared in court and were granted bail.
Banele Moyo (46) and James Ngoma (42) appeared in court before Bulawayo regional magistrate Ms Sibonginkosi Mkandla charged with theft.
They pleaded not guilty and are legally represented by Mr Zibusiso Ncube of Ncube and Partners who applied for bail.
Mr Ncube argued: “The pair are respected businessmen and they have thriving businesses in the hotel industry and they are also involved in safari tours. They handed themselves to the police and the legal battle started in 2019 and was in the Civil Court. They did not flee.
“They are also family men and breadwinners. Moreover they deserve bail because they are innocent until they are proven guilty and bail is their legal right.”
Ms Mkandla granted them bail on condition that they each pay US$1 000, do not interfere with State witnesses and reside at the addresses they gave the court.
They will be back in court on 25 September and have been ordered to report every Friday at Hillside Police Station.
Prosecuting, Ms Nkanyezi Xaba told the court that the complainant in this case is Pioneer Mining and Prospecting Company Pvt Ltd, which owns Jessies Luck B 10798BM gold mining block, Hope Fountain, on the outskirts of Bulawayo, represented by Daniel Mbirikira.
“The complainant and the accused persons share a boundary on their mining claims. On the period extending from March this year to June this year the accused persons excavated and extracted gold ores in the complainant’s mining block, Jessies Luck B 10798BM,” said Ms Xaba.
The accused persons reportedly transported the gold ore to their place where they allegedly crushed it into fine particles using a mobile crusher.
“Following that, the pair allegedly loaded the gold ores to their leach pad situated in their mining claim for leaching processing,” said the prosecutor.
“On 23 June this year, the complainant discovered the offence and reported the matter to the police.”
On 16 August 2026 a technical team from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development conducted a ground verification at the mine and collected the gold ore samples.
“The team came up with a technical report indicating the accused stole 410 000 metric tonnes of gold ores from the complainant’s mine claim, processed and loaded it into his heap leach pad,” the court heard.
The court heard that the team from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development came up with a technical report that reflects that the gold ore the accused stole had a value of 0,78 grammes of gold per tonne.
“A total of 311,6kg of gold content was stolen and it is valued at $43 935 600,00 using Fidelity Gold Refineries’ value of gold per gramme. The technical report can be produced in court as documentary exhibit,” said Ms Xaba.
