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Richard Muponde, Gwanda Correspondent
FORMER Zimbabwe Miners Federation president, Trynos Nkomo, has been issued with a warrant of arrest for absconding court in Beitbridge where he is facing eight counts of illegal mining.
He is alleged to have illegally mined more than four kilogrammes of gold valued at more than $165 000.
Nkomo is jointly charged with his former mining partner, Sifanjani Moyo popularly known as Bhebhe.
The pair is facing eight counts ranging from mining without a licence, transporting gold ore without a permit and illegally possessing gold in contravention of the Mines and Minerals Act and Gold Trade Act respectively.
Nkomo and Moyo were supposed to appear in court on Friday but Nkomo did not turn up.
Beitbridge magistrate Mr Godswill Mavenge then issued a warrant of arrest against him.
Moyo was not asked to plead and was remanded to December 29 out of custody on his own cognisance.
In his warned and cautioned statement, Moyo denied engaging in illegal mining saying he was employed by Nkomo after he showed him papers that the mining claim was his.
“I was working for Nkomo who told me that he was the owner of the mine called Zihara Mine. That is the permit we used to take gold ore to the Stamp Mill at Chigango,” said Moyo.
Allegations against the pair are that between August 8 and September 8 this year and at Mlongwa Farm in West Nicholson they unlawfully removed 206 tonnes of gold ore for milling and disposed the gold without a written permission from the Mining Commissioner.
Nkomo and Moyo were mining partners but their deal collapsed when the former allegedly reneged on giving the latter his share of the proceeds.
Instead, Nkomo rushed to the Bulawayo High Court seeking an order barring Moyo from setting foot at the gold rich claim, which was granted by Justice Martin Makonese.
He also pegged the claim without Moyo on August 3 and registered the claim in September under his name as Bunny Luck 2 Mine, the name he is using.
Online Reporter