Online Reporter
POLICE in Gwanda rural have thwarted a movie style theft of gold ore in the still of the night last Wednesday, impounding equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and arresting six daring gold ore thieves.
A special team led by police from Gwanda Rural in conjunction with security personnel from Vubachikwe Gold Mine in Matabeleland South pounced on several gold ore thieves, arresting the suspects who had come to steal ore using three 30-tonne trucks, two Honda Fit lookout vehicles and a TLB machine that was being used to haul the stolen ore onto the trucks which were lined up to take the stolen ore to an undisclosed location.
The suspected ore thieves, former Vubachikwe Mine worker Gift Phiri aged 49, Shelton Mguni aged 33, Derick Ndlovu aged 36, Tawedzerwa Chadya aged 20, Persuade Chikunguru aged 25 and 44-year-old Bekezela Sibanda were arrested at Vubachikwe Mine’s Magano shaft with one truckload full of stolen gold ore during a night-time raid at around 9pm.
“The suspects in the Honda Fit lookout vehicle escaped arrest in the still of the night leaving their sky blue Honda Fit vehicle registration number AFW4684 behind. It was later impounded by police who then had it driven to the police camp,” said Vubachikwe Mine head of security Mr Max Ruza, who led his troops in the night-time raid.
“Another truck also meant to haul the stolen ore immediately retreated and drove back after sensing that there was trouble and the possibility that their accomplices had been arrested,” added Mr Ruza.
“While there has been an escalation in illegal mining for subsistence, this type of theft on a commercial scale speaks to something more well-orchestrated and well-planned and is definitely an escalation to what has been a spate of low-level syndicate-led thefts at Vubachikwe Mine,” he added.
However, the arrests were not without drama. The truck drivers who were eventually arrested had initially tried to drive off in a daring escape and it only took the brave exploits of the Gwanda rural police to thwart the escape, leading to the eventual firing of warning shots that got the would-be escapees to give up and abandon their escape.
“The police were in harm’s way because, with theft involving such sophisticated equipment, the thieves make every effort not to be caught as they know that the arrest would result in their vehicles being impounded. The police have gone the extra mile to assist but they are obviously stretched given other national duties and should therefore be commended for their response to this particular incident,” said Mr Ruza.
Mine spokesperson Robert Mukondiwa said there are reasonable leads that point towards a well-orchestrated syndicate of theft from the higher-ups in society who have availed and paid for the equipment as they rob and pillage Vubachikwe Mine.
“Names have been given and there is the obvious attempt to make the poor employees the fall guy for the bigwigs who are behind them. They are known and the clock is ticking before they will be duly exposed as well as the entire network of palms being greased to lighten the impact of their impending legal fall.
“We are watching the judicial process that has kicked off as a result of these arrests and we trust the legal process as it unfolds,” he said.
Some of the trucks, registered to one Mduduzi Nyamambi, a Gwanda local, have been impounded and are believed to be in the police’s hands. The gold ore has been sent to a private laboratory for assaying to determine the value of the ore that was hauled as well as aid in the furtherance of the court case which proceeds tomorrow.
“We will be watching to ensure all three of the six charged with theft are tried for the crime and receive deserving sentences. There is also a former employee of ours who was part of the alleged thieves and therefore had intricate knowledge of our operations and systems.”
“The daring and brazen nature of this particular theft shows the levels to which we have sunk and how audacious the theft syndicates have become. Big names behind the rot will roll and it shall be embarrassing but it shall put paid to the rot which has gone on for way too long. “This is sabotage to the nation and economic treason, and it is embarrassing,” said Mr Mukondiwa.
A few weeks ago the police also did well to raid the mine’s illegal small-scale miners, impounding a compressor belonging to one Ndabezinhle “Ndatshie” who is being investigated for ferrying illegals and sponsoring their activities.
“The police are taking no prisoners and we are elated with the confiscation of crucial equipment and the police have indicated that they shall double down on such confiscations and that is music to the ears of legitimate gold mining establishments,” concluded Mr Mukondiwa.
With the court case set to kick off, all eyes will be on Gwanda to see if this new level of daring high-stakes illegal ore theft can be nipped in the bud and ably deterred before it can fester.
