Illegal miners turn to robberies, increasing criminal activities in mining towns
A number of criminal activities have been linked to illegal miners who are looking for alternative ways to earn a living.
Vongai Mbara
Addressing miners from Zimbabwe Miners Federation Mashwest Province in Kadoma yesterday, Officer Commanding District Chief Superintended Kezia Karuru said the number of criminal activities in mining towns is alarmingly rising as a result of illegal miners engaging in robberies.
“Illegal miners are coming from all parts of the country in search of mineral resources. However, when they come into mining towns, they don’t always find what they are looking for and instead, start engaging in criminal activities such as robberies to source for food,” he said.
Karuru encouraged the miners to be ethical and help the government in reducing the crime of illegal mining.
“The national statement is, No to illegal mining so my plea is that miners should assist to uphold the national status. Mining and Agriculture are the backbones of our country, therefore they should be done ethically. There are laws governing mining and they should not be broken.
“People without knowledge and identity linked to mining are engaging in mining activities and it is not acceptable. Let us all work together and end illegal mining,” he added.
Many reports have been made against illegal miners who are engaging in different criminal activities.
In Esigodini, there are cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and child pregnancies by illegal miners.
Zimbabwe Miners Federation chairperson, Mr Timothy Chizuzu said their organization is working closely with Small Scale Miners to equip them with the knowledge and ethics required in running mining projects.