Masvingo(Masvingo Star-New Ziana) -A 27 year old Mwenezi man was recently sentenced to two months imprisonment after he was caught illegally mining for gold at the Wimpy Mountain on the southern outskirts of the city for the second time in as many weeks.

Aaron Shumba of Mawarire village, in Mwenezi, was among a quartet that appeared before Masvingo magistrate Candice Kasere after they were found panning for gold on the mountain where the city’s water supply reservoirs are situated.

This was the second time that Shumba was appearing before the same magistrate for falling foul of the country’s mining laws in as many weeks. The previous week, Shumba had been fined $200 or alternatively 30 days in prison.

The sentence, however, did not seem deterrent enough as the following week, Shumba was back illegally prospecting for gold at the same point, this time in the company of three friends, who were each fined $300 or 30 days imprisonment.

Agreed facts were Shumba and his three friends hatched a plan to prospect for gold and proceeded to Wimpy area near Masvingo water tanks armed with chisels, pick and shovels.

Police officers who were on the patrol went to Masvingo water tanks where they found the quartet prospecting for gold and asked them to produce for a license authorising them to prospect and they failed to produce any, leading to their arrest.

Two chisels, one pick and a shovel were recovered from the scene and were taken to police as exhibit.

The court appearance of the second group in as many weeks shows that the number of illegal gold panners is increasing in the Wimpy area with a group of seven including Shumba having appeared the previous week on similar charges for which they were each fined $200 or alternatively 20 days.

Soon after paying the fine, Shumba was back prospecting for gold in the same area with three different friends.

New Ziana