Itai Muzondo
MBERENGWA: The High Court has stopped mining operations at Mahindi Village in Mberengwa after two people claimed ownership of the area following a gold rush.
The villagers raised an alarm last week as the illegal miners were reportedly digging fields, cemeteries and near homesteads in search for the precious mineral.
Midlands Provincial Mines Directors, Tariro Ndlovu told CommuTalk that his office dispatched mining surveyors last week to assess the extent of the damage by the illegal miners in the area.
He also confirmed that operations have since been stopped after some local miners approached the High Court contesting ownership.
“We had a field verification exercise on the area two weeks back and our surveyors are still preparing a report. The preliminary findings are that some of the villagers have gone into cohorts with interested miners and there has been a lot of illegal mining activities in backyards.
“The matter is now subject of a High Court in Masvingo where two interested miners are in dispute, we have not been cited however hence we were not served with an interim order but I understand the mining operations have stopped,” he said.
Villagers recently expressed concern on the mining activities which were going on in the area with artisanal miners reportedly turning the ground upside down in search of the mineral.
They said several houses have since developed some cracks due to the blasting activities that are taking place.
“We are now living in fear of these miners because of their violent nature; they even set their explosives just beneath our houses, and the situation is so bad many houses in the vicinity have developed cracks,” said one of the villagers, Saxon Dube.
