No place to run to as Artisanal miners invade a police camp

By Delight Dokotera

EXTREMIST artisanal miners have become so brazen to the extent of invading Bindura ZRP New camp, along Atherstone Road towards Chipadze Musika, in order to extract gold.
Three of them were on Thursday sentenced to an effective two years behind bars by Bindura Provincial Magistrate Ruramai Chitumbura.
The trio of Tichaona Nhire (24), Anywhere Kakwere (30), and Musiwenkosi Ncube (24), proceeded to ZRP New Camp, Bindura, and began to extract gold from a pit dug by illegal gold panners on Wednesday.
According to State represented by Sheila Mariba, at around 3pm, detectives received information that there were illegal gold panners at the site, extracting gold ore using iron rods.
The detectives proceeded to the illegal panning site and found the accused persons inside the pit extracting gold ore.
The accused failed to produce a mining licence, authorising them to prospect for gold ore. This led to their arrest.
The recovered iron rods and the five kilograms of gold ore were produced as exhibits in court.
They all pleaded guilty to the charge.
Melude Ngwenya (48), who was caught at the same site as the trio, however, denied the charges.
He told Magistrate Chitumbura that he was not part of the crew.
He claimed that the moment the trio was arrested; he was sleeping at the site since he was drunk from the previous day and had failed to walk home.
Chitumbura ordered Ngwenya to remain in custody.