A security guard at gold mine in Shurugwi died after he was allegedly attacked by an artisanal miner who had trespassed into the company's claim through an underground tunnel on Friday night.
Two of the deceased’s fellow intruders were arrested after Tebekwe mine security guards fired warning shots following a fierce battle that occurred in the tunnels.
Police in Shurugwi confirmed the incident, saying two of the suspects, Munyaradzi Gonye and Clever Magura, were now in custody.
The deceased security guard was identified as Tirivanhu Muradzikwa.
Tebekwe Mine chief security officer Derick Dube said they were working with the police to capture the other suspects, who are still at large.
Dube said they believed that some of the suspects were still underground, playing cat and mouse games with security officers, after the intruders' exit point was sealed off.
"We managed to scare them away after firing the warning shots, and they retreated, but we managed to arrest two,” he said.
“The other ones, about three of them, are still underground, and since the mine is big, and with many levels, we are failing to locate them, but all their illegal exit points are sealed off."
- Chivhu man in court for bestiality
- Man murders ex-wife for rejecting him
- Scenic Shurugwi loses lustre
- Businesswoman remembers female prisoners
Keep Reading
Dube added: "We will also be going to look for the other suspects in Shurugwi (town), like we did last time when we managed to arrest a notorious illegal miner by the name Jamba, who ended up in jail."
Dube said Tebekwe Mine will continue to work hand in hand with the police by providing resources to end crimes that include cases of gold theft that have been occurring in the mining town where suspects have been targeting gold mines.
Tebekwe Mine security has been also patrolling the nearby community at night with cases of housebreaking and mugging now a thing of the past in the neighbourhood since Smelly Dube, the River Valley proprietor bought the mine a few years ago.
Last year, one illegal miner was shot dead by the mine's security personnel after he was found trespassing underground.
