By JAIROS SAUNYAMA
More than 200 illegal gold panners, popularly known as Makorokoza, last week descended on a mining claim, owned by a 65-year-old widow, in the gold-rich area of Makaha in Mudzi, Mashonaland East, defying Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
The panners, who are reportedly working on the instructions pf former Zanu PF director of Information and Publicity Danny Musukuma, descended on Diana Mandiseka’s claim before riot police were called to quell the disturbances.
When Standard Style visited the scene last Wednesday, the police had successfully driven away the illegal gold panners who had caused harm to the environment.
There was heavy police presence in the area with this publication reliably informed that the panners’ leader was arrested by police.
Mandiseka, who is popularly known as Mbuya Munyoro in the area, narrated her ordeal.
“It was a bad experience for me and my family. I would see people going up there at night not knowing that they had invaded my claim,” Mbuya Munyoro said.
“About 230 men were transported in mishikashika [pirate taxis] to my claim without my consent. They passed through my gate and even threatened to kill me. It was scary.
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“I had to be assisted by fellow miners in this area before the police moved in. I am happy about the latest development and I applaud the police for their assistance. Imagine that I am paying money to the government only for greedy people to come and invade what is legally mine.”
Mandiseka, whose husband died some years ago, added that the invasion of her mine claim was engineered by some politicians who perceive themselves as “untouchables”.
“These invaders are working on instructions from greedy politicians who abuse the name of the party to achieve their own agendas, in this case to grab what is not theirs,” Mbuya Munyoro said.
“The police have since arrested one of the ringleaders and as a family we are happy about that.”
Musukuma claimed to be lawfully entitled to the claim.
“I do hold mining rights and I am lawfully doing mining operations on that piece of land,” he said.
“I am yet to establish what really happened on that night when police pounced on my people.
“People have been digging shafts of up to 35m in the area, but just because on that day they got high value gold we had riot police acting on the instructions of some greedy people pouncing on the miners.”
Musukuma said he was aware that some people in the area were using their political connections to disrupt work at his mine claim.
Musukuma is allegedly embroiled in a mine wrangle with the Nkomo family whose claim is located close to Gogo Munyoro’s.
A Nkomo family member Lovemore Kondorani (48), said they had since engaged top lawyer Jonathan Samukange, who is also the area’s legislator, to assist.
Standard Style also established that police assisted Mandiseka to recover her ore from the gold panners.
According to documents gleaned by this publication, Mandiseka legally owns KooDoo gold claim which is registered as Munyoro Mining Syndicate.
Police officers have been in the area since the start of “Operation Chikorokoza Chapera” that has seen a lot of gold panners being arrested across the country.
