News / National
Red mercury hoax
21 Apr 2013 at 02:36hrs | Views
After being handed a file photograph by her grandfather, three-year-old Morelove Tapuwanashe Murefu, of Mukwatsa Village, Rushinga, in Mashonaland Central Province, is clearly excited. Giggling whilst holding the picture close to her face, she silently admires the photograph for a couple of minutes.
Asked to identify the people in the photograph, Morelove, whose memory is without doubt as sharp as a butcher's knife, wasted no time.
"This is me and this is my father," points the little girl with enthusiasm before continuing, "He (my father) is in Bindura and, when he comes back, he is going to bring me sweets and chocolates."
But Morelove is unaware she will never see her father alive again.
For the father, Ephraim, was torn to pieces after an alleged attempt to extract "red mercury" from a live landmine.
Following reports that the blast which occurred in Chitungwiza early this year, killing five people, was a result of people trying to extract "red mercury" from an anti-tank landmine, some villagers in areas surrounding Rushinga and along the Mozambican border have embarked on the unimaginable.
They are "hunting" landmines to extract "red mercury", an activity that has killed and maimed many.
In an effort to establish facts on the ground, a Sunday Mail In-Depth crew made a long trip to remote parts of Rushinga where it stumbled upon several cases of people who have fallen victim to the "red mercury" rush.
Investigations revealed that six people have so far lost their lives, with several others nursing varying degrees of injury.
The death of Ephraim is the most recent case.
His accomplice, a Mozambican national, Donito Mathos Senente, who had brought the landmine, is lucky to be alive but had both legs amputated.
Ephraim, a young and ambitious man, was "blown to pieces" as he allegedly tried to extract the mythical red mercury from a live landmine at Katoni Village.
After working for some companies in Mount Darwin, Ephraim briefly taught at local schools before enrolling at the Bindura University for a Science Education Degree programme. However, due to a lack of money to pay tuition fees, Ephraim dropped out of the higher learning institution last year.
Villagers say poverty could have prompted the young man to venture into the "mercury business".
"I was in Masvingo when I received the news of Ephraim's death. We were taken to Mount Darwin Hospital mortuary so that I could identify the body and what I saw will haunt me for the rest of my life. To say that my son's body was badly mutilated is an understatement," said Panganai Murefu, father to the late.
According to the elderly Murefu, Ephraim had a gaping hole in his forehead and his left eye and all teeth were missing.
He said despite his late son being light skinned, he failed to recognise the body since it was pitch black, probably as a result of the smoke from the explosion.
As has become a common fact with most cases involving "mercury blasts", details of what happened before the blast that took Ephraim's life remain sketchy.
"What I know is that my son and a stranger whom we were told was a soldier based in Mutare went to Katoni Village and asked for a hacksaw from a friend at Sauti Sauti's homestead. After they were given the cutting tool, they started to cut open a metal item that subsequently exploded, killing them instantly," said Ephraim's father.
When The Sunday Mail In-Depth arrived at the scene of the blast, only a collapsed hut remains of what appeared to have been a decent homestead.
Bicycle parts, which a neighbour said belonged to the Mozambican who is suspected of being the source of the bomb, were strewn all over the place.
"I heard people talking about extracting mercury from landmines. I was the first to arrive at the scene of the blast and what I saw was horrific," said Amos Nelson, whose homestead is less than 500 metres from the scene of the blast.
Sabhuku Chirongamabwe (Paddington Gomo), the head of the village in which the blast occurred, said the increase in cases of people who are hunting landmines was worrying.
"Security must be tightened. We cannot allow a situation in which both locals and Mozambicans cross the border willy-nilly transport dangerous explosive devices," Sabhuku Chirongamabwe said.
Another victim, Pedzai Mafunga, a teacher from Chokuvamba Village, is nursing injuries after he allegedly attempted to extract the so-called red mercury from a live landmine.
Last month, police raided Nicholas Kapfudzaruva's home in Rushinga and retrieved a live landmine from one of his huts.
The Zimbabwe National Army's bomb disposal unit detonated the landmine. After appearing in court, Kapfudzaruva was sentenced to perform community service despite the gravity of his case.
Assistant Inspector Petros Masikati, the Mashonaland Central provincial police spokesman, confirmed the recent death of Ephraim.
"I can confirm that we receive a number of cases in which people are killed by landmines and of late an attempt to extract this red mercury. Explosive devices are scattered along the Mozambican border and I am urging people not to tamper with such dangerous devices," Asst Insp Masikati said.
Efforts to get the post-mortem results for Ephraim and medical records of his Mozambican accomplice, Senente, were fruitless since Dr Clemence Tshuma, the Mashonaland Central provincial medical director, was said to be out of office.
His deputy, Dr Richard Mukungunugwa, requested more time to check the records.
According to an expert on explosives, anti-tank landmines are designed to damage or destroy armoured vehicles. The source, however, said that contrary to popular belief, landmines do not contain any red mercury.
Experts say there is nothing called red mercury, adding that it is just a hoax.
But what has prompted villagers in parts of Rushinga to attempt to dissect live landmine for red mercury?
The locals say there were reports that the red mercury could be sold in South Africa.
Others say following reports that the landmines contained red mercury which could fetch a princely sum sold, people just wanted to stock it in anticipation of buyers flocking the area.
Although investigations by The Sunday Mail In-Depth revealed the source of the landmines, efforts to trace the buyers and the intended market hit a brick wall.
Predictably, efforts to lay hands on the actual "red mercury" was as impossible as milking a lioness.
Villagers came up with a number of theories, but it was impossible for the theories to be authenticated.
Investigations and researches have proved that "red mercury" does not exist. Instead, the red mercury jibe is a hoax which has been used by conmen throughout the world. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of people either killed or injured as they tampered with explosives.
Early this year, four family members from Waterfalls tried to open what was suspected to be a grenade and it exploded, seriously injuring one of the members while two people were arrested in Manicaland after they were found selling mortars.
According to online publications, the term red mercury was adopted at the beginning of the 20th century from red mercuric iodide as part of several hoax substances of uncertain composition purportedly used in the creation of nuclear bombs as well as a variety of unrelated weapons system.
However, samples of "red mercury" obtained from arrested would-be terrorists invariably consisted of nothing more than various red dyes or powders of little value which some suspect was being sold as part of a campaign intended to flush out potential nuclear smugglers.
The hoax was first reported in 1979 and was commonly discussed in the media in the 1990s where prices as high as $1 800 000 per kilogramme were reported.
A key event in the history of the red mercury was an article in the daily Russian newspaper Pravda in 1993 which stated that it was a super-conducive material used for producing high-precision conventional and nuclear bomb explosives.
Countries aspiring to possess nuclear weapons such as South Africa, Israel, Iran, Iraq and Libya all made inquiries about red mercury, offering high prices that ranged between US$100 000 and US$300 000 per kilogramme.
A study by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists concluded that "Red mercury doesn't exist." Several men were arrested in Britain on suspicion that they were trying to buy a kilogramme of red mercury for 300 000 pounds. The International Atomic Energy Agency has made a statement dismissing claims that the substance is real.
Red mercury is also thought to be the invention of an intelligence agency or criminal gang for the purpose of deceiving terrorists and rogue states that were trying to acquire nuclear technology on the black market.
According to online sources, organisations involved in landmine clearance and unexploded munitions disposal noted a belief amongst some communities in Southern Africa that red mercury may be found in certain types of landmines.
Attempting to extract red mercury, purported to be highly valuable, was reported as a motivation for people dismantling landmines and suffering deaths or injury as a result.
In some cases, it was reported that unscrupulous traders may be deliberately promoting this misconception in an effort to build a market for landmines.
In April 2009, a report from Saudi Arabia that Singer sewing machines contained "red mercury" caused the prices of such machines to massively increase, with some paying up to SR200 000 for a single machine that normally costs SR200.
The supposed use of red mercury ranged from being an essential component of nuclear power to having the ability to extract gold or locate buried treasure and perform other forms of magic.
Asked to identify the people in the photograph, Morelove, whose memory is without doubt as sharp as a butcher's knife, wasted no time.
"This is me and this is my father," points the little girl with enthusiasm before continuing, "He (my father) is in Bindura and, when he comes back, he is going to bring me sweets and chocolates."
But Morelove is unaware she will never see her father alive again.
For the father, Ephraim, was torn to pieces after an alleged attempt to extract "red mercury" from a live landmine.
Following reports that the blast which occurred in Chitungwiza early this year, killing five people, was a result of people trying to extract "red mercury" from an anti-tank landmine, some villagers in areas surrounding Rushinga and along the Mozambican border have embarked on the unimaginable.
They are "hunting" landmines to extract "red mercury", an activity that has killed and maimed many.
In an effort to establish facts on the ground, a Sunday Mail In-Depth crew made a long trip to remote parts of Rushinga where it stumbled upon several cases of people who have fallen victim to the "red mercury" rush.
Investigations revealed that six people have so far lost their lives, with several others nursing varying degrees of injury.
The death of Ephraim is the most recent case.
His accomplice, a Mozambican national, Donito Mathos Senente, who had brought the landmine, is lucky to be alive but had both legs amputated.
Ephraim, a young and ambitious man, was "blown to pieces" as he allegedly tried to extract the mythical red mercury from a live landmine at Katoni Village.
After working for some companies in Mount Darwin, Ephraim briefly taught at local schools before enrolling at the Bindura University for a Science Education Degree programme. However, due to a lack of money to pay tuition fees, Ephraim dropped out of the higher learning institution last year.
Villagers say poverty could have prompted the young man to venture into the "mercury business".
"I was in Masvingo when I received the news of Ephraim's death. We were taken to Mount Darwin Hospital mortuary so that I could identify the body and what I saw will haunt me for the rest of my life. To say that my son's body was badly mutilated is an understatement," said Panganai Murefu, father to the late.
According to the elderly Murefu, Ephraim had a gaping hole in his forehead and his left eye and all teeth were missing.
He said despite his late son being light skinned, he failed to recognise the body since it was pitch black, probably as a result of the smoke from the explosion.
As has become a common fact with most cases involving "mercury blasts", details of what happened before the blast that took Ephraim's life remain sketchy.
"What I know is that my son and a stranger whom we were told was a soldier based in Mutare went to Katoni Village and asked for a hacksaw from a friend at Sauti Sauti's homestead. After they were given the cutting tool, they started to cut open a metal item that subsequently exploded, killing them instantly," said Ephraim's father.
When The Sunday Mail In-Depth arrived at the scene of the blast, only a collapsed hut remains of what appeared to have been a decent homestead.
Bicycle parts, which a neighbour said belonged to the Mozambican who is suspected of being the source of the bomb, were strewn all over the place.
"I heard people talking about extracting mercury from landmines. I was the first to arrive at the scene of the blast and what I saw was horrific," said Amos Nelson, whose homestead is less than 500 metres from the scene of the blast.
Sabhuku Chirongamabwe (Paddington Gomo), the head of the village in which the blast occurred, said the increase in cases of people who are hunting landmines was worrying.
"Security must be tightened. We cannot allow a situation in which both locals and Mozambicans cross the border willy-nilly transport dangerous explosive devices," Sabhuku Chirongamabwe said.
Another victim, Pedzai Mafunga, a teacher from Chokuvamba Village, is nursing injuries after he allegedly attempted to extract the so-called red mercury from a live landmine.
Last month, police raided Nicholas Kapfudzaruva's home in Rushinga and retrieved a live landmine from one of his huts.
Assistant Inspector Petros Masikati, the Mashonaland Central provincial police spokesman, confirmed the recent death of Ephraim.
"I can confirm that we receive a number of cases in which people are killed by landmines and of late an attempt to extract this red mercury. Explosive devices are scattered along the Mozambican border and I am urging people not to tamper with such dangerous devices," Asst Insp Masikati said.
Efforts to get the post-mortem results for Ephraim and medical records of his Mozambican accomplice, Senente, were fruitless since Dr Clemence Tshuma, the Mashonaland Central provincial medical director, was said to be out of office.
His deputy, Dr Richard Mukungunugwa, requested more time to check the records.
According to an expert on explosives, anti-tank landmines are designed to damage or destroy armoured vehicles. The source, however, said that contrary to popular belief, landmines do not contain any red mercury.
Experts say there is nothing called red mercury, adding that it is just a hoax.
But what has prompted villagers in parts of Rushinga to attempt to dissect live landmine for red mercury?
The locals say there were reports that the red mercury could be sold in South Africa.
Others say following reports that the landmines contained red mercury which could fetch a princely sum sold, people just wanted to stock it in anticipation of buyers flocking the area.
Although investigations by The Sunday Mail In-Depth revealed the source of the landmines, efforts to trace the buyers and the intended market hit a brick wall.
Predictably, efforts to lay hands on the actual "red mercury" was as impossible as milking a lioness.
Villagers came up with a number of theories, but it was impossible for the theories to be authenticated.
Investigations and researches have proved that "red mercury" does not exist. Instead, the red mercury jibe is a hoax which has been used by conmen throughout the world. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of people either killed or injured as they tampered with explosives.
Early this year, four family members from Waterfalls tried to open what was suspected to be a grenade and it exploded, seriously injuring one of the members while two people were arrested in Manicaland after they were found selling mortars.
According to online publications, the term red mercury was adopted at the beginning of the 20th century from red mercuric iodide as part of several hoax substances of uncertain composition purportedly used in the creation of nuclear bombs as well as a variety of unrelated weapons system.
However, samples of "red mercury" obtained from arrested would-be terrorists invariably consisted of nothing more than various red dyes or powders of little value which some suspect was being sold as part of a campaign intended to flush out potential nuclear smugglers.
The hoax was first reported in 1979 and was commonly discussed in the media in the 1990s where prices as high as $1 800 000 per kilogramme were reported.
A key event in the history of the red mercury was an article in the daily Russian newspaper Pravda in 1993 which stated that it was a super-conducive material used for producing high-precision conventional and nuclear bomb explosives.
Countries aspiring to possess nuclear weapons such as South Africa, Israel, Iran, Iraq and Libya all made inquiries about red mercury, offering high prices that ranged between US$100 000 and US$300 000 per kilogramme.
A study by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists concluded that "Red mercury doesn't exist." Several men were arrested in Britain on suspicion that they were trying to buy a kilogramme of red mercury for 300 000 pounds. The International Atomic Energy Agency has made a statement dismissing claims that the substance is real.
Red mercury is also thought to be the invention of an intelligence agency or criminal gang for the purpose of deceiving terrorists and rogue states that were trying to acquire nuclear technology on the black market.
According to online sources, organisations involved in landmine clearance and unexploded munitions disposal noted a belief amongst some communities in Southern Africa that red mercury may be found in certain types of landmines.
Attempting to extract red mercury, purported to be highly valuable, was reported as a motivation for people dismantling landmines and suffering deaths or injury as a result.
In some cases, it was reported that unscrupulous traders may be deliberately promoting this misconception in an effort to build a market for landmines.
In April 2009, a report from Saudi Arabia that Singer sewing machines contained "red mercury" caused the prices of such machines to massively increase, with some paying up to SR200 000 for a single machine that normally costs SR200.
The supposed use of red mercury ranged from being an essential component of nuclear power to having the ability to extract gold or locate buried treasure and perform other forms of magic.
Source - Internet sources
