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An 18-year-old man from Mutasa has been sentenced to two years behind bars, becoming the latest individual to feel the “full wrath of the law” in a renewed clampdown on illegal mining within Zimbabwe’s restricted Chiadzwa diamond fields, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Gwata Adonis was convicted by the Mutare Magistrates’ Court after being caught red-handed by security personnel from the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) in the early hours of September 25, 2025.
The court heard that at around 4 a.m., ZCDC security guards on patrol spotted Adonis and an accomplice, who managed to evade capture, inside the highly secured mining concession. The two were allegedly carrying sacks filled with suspected diamond-bearing ore. Adonis was swiftly apprehended, and the sack of ore was seized and later tendered in court as evidence.
The arrest and subsequent conviction are part of a broader, intensified security offensive by the ZCDC to protect the nation’s mineral wealth. This case comes just days after another Mutare court handed down similar two-year sentences to two other illegal panners, Tinashe Moyo (22) and Tawanda Chifamba (24), who were arrested in the same area on September 22.
In that separate but related incident, the pair was discovered hiding in a bushy area within the ZCDC concession, also in possession of mining tools and suspected diamond ore. The back-to-back convictions signal a zero-tolerance approach from both the state-owned miner and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
In an official news bulletin announcing Adonis’s sentencing, the NPA underscored the severe impact of such crimes. “Illegal mining activities not only prejudice the nation of valuable resources but also endanger lives,” the authority stated, concluding with a firm warning: “Offenders will face the full wrath of the law.”
The ZCDC, which holds the exclusive mandate to mine diamonds in the Marange area, has been battling illegal artisanal miners for years. The company has recently bolstered its security and surveillance operations, leading to an increase in arrests. These operations are critical, as the loss of revenue from illicit mining directly impacts national treasury receipts.
The case of Gwata Adonis serves as a stark reminder of the risks involved and the government’s current hardened stance. As the ZCDC continues to foil illegal prospecting attempts, the courts are demonstrating their readiness to impose custodial sentences to deter a crime that continues to plague Zimbabwe’s most lucrative mining sectors.
