Police arrest nearly 30k people under “No to machete gangs” operation
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) since January this year have arrested 29 887 people under operation no to machete gangs. The operation is meant to restore sanity in the Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector.
Anerudo Mapuranga
“Police arrested 128 people under the operation, “No to machete gangs.” The cumulative arrests since January this year stand at 29 887,” the ZRP said in a statement.
Illegal Miners are mostly an easy target of criminals usually referred to as machete gangs who have been causing havoc in the ASM sector.
According to Police spokesperson Asst-Comm Paul Nyathi, the operation is ongoing and they have covered all the provinces and those that resist risk being arrested and face deterrent sentences as the police are in constant contact with the judiciary.
Machete-wielding criminals are notorious for pouncing on small-scale and artisanal miners stealing the latter’s gold or gold ore. The stolen gold is usually smuggled to neighbouring countries like South Africa and Botswana through the country’s porous borders.
The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) has once again called on miners to formalize their operations by adhering to the dictates of the law to avoid a situation where work is constantly being disrupted by law enforcement agents.
According to ZMF President Ms Henrietta Rushwaya, the Federation has a zero-tolerance mantra of no to illegal mining. She said that the organisation’s offices are open for everyone to come and get mining investment advice.
“As small-scale miners, we are saying it is a crime to mine illegally in the country. And we are saying zero tolerance to illegal mining. We should be seen as being associated with constructive and proper mining, constructive in the sense that our mining should be guided by principles as stated in the Mines and Minerals Act. People are advised and allowed to come to our ZMF offices to find out how best they can be linked with proper mining houses and how best they get tributes from other registered miners,” Rushwaya said.