News / Local
Zanu-PF MP, RioZim fight over mine
31 Aug 2021 at 06:15hrs | Views
CHEGUTU West legislator Dexter Nduna (Zanu-PF) has dragged RioZim Ltd (RioZim) to the High Court, accusing the gold producing giant of invading his gold mining claim.
Nduna accuses RioZim of forcibly taking over Danly Mine located in Chakari.
The company is being sued together with one Langton Ndlovu, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer-in-charge Chakari, Mashonaland West provincial mining director, Police CommissionerGeneral Godwin Matanga and Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe.
Nduna is accusing police of assisting RioZim to take over the mine.
The legislator is seeking a spoliation order, which would suspend the current activities being carried out by Ndlovu, and that he be declared the lawful owner of the controversial mine claim.
Nduna said he had all along been carrying out mining operations at Danly Mine peacefully until RioZim, Ndlovu and the ZRP arrived on August 24 this year.
"On the strength of the prospecting licence related above, I took up and have been in peaceful and undisturbed possession of the said claims carrying out my prospecting operations. On or about August 24, 2021, I went to the mine to go about my normal business there and the three barred me from operating on my claim without my consent and had thus halted all mining activities," he said in his application.
"Upon inquiring with the respondents, I was told that they had been given a verbal authority by provincial mining director and could not give any lawful explanation to conduct themselves in that manner. They went on to the extent of erecting a fence within my boundary. It is this conduct on the part of the first to third respondents which has necessitated the bringing of the present application. The respondents have claimed that the officer-in-charge has given them authority to dispossess me," Nduna added.
"Without my consent and authority, the first, second and third respondents have illegally barred me access to my claim and have halted all of my mining and prospecting activities claiming authority from the fourth respondent. Ndlovu has commenced illegal mining activities on my claim and continues to carry such out at the time of this application. If they are not stopped from continuing with their illegal conduct, I stand to suffer irreparable harm as gold is a finite resource which can never be recovered and thus the matter is urgent. Ndlovu is illegally extracting gold at my claim and there is no way of recovering or knowing how much they have extracted. It is on those grounds that I humbly submit that this matter is urgent and cannot wait to be set down on the normal basis."
RioZim is yet to file its answering affidavit.
Nduna accuses RioZim of forcibly taking over Danly Mine located in Chakari.
The company is being sued together with one Langton Ndlovu, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer-in-charge Chakari, Mashonaland West provincial mining director, Police CommissionerGeneral Godwin Matanga and Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe.
Nduna is accusing police of assisting RioZim to take over the mine.
The legislator is seeking a spoliation order, which would suspend the current activities being carried out by Ndlovu, and that he be declared the lawful owner of the controversial mine claim.
"On the strength of the prospecting licence related above, I took up and have been in peaceful and undisturbed possession of the said claims carrying out my prospecting operations. On or about August 24, 2021, I went to the mine to go about my normal business there and the three barred me from operating on my claim without my consent and had thus halted all mining activities," he said in his application.
"Upon inquiring with the respondents, I was told that they had been given a verbal authority by provincial mining director and could not give any lawful explanation to conduct themselves in that manner. They went on to the extent of erecting a fence within my boundary. It is this conduct on the part of the first to third respondents which has necessitated the bringing of the present application. The respondents have claimed that the officer-in-charge has given them authority to dispossess me," Nduna added.
"Without my consent and authority, the first, second and third respondents have illegally barred me access to my claim and have halted all of my mining and prospecting activities claiming authority from the fourth respondent. Ndlovu has commenced illegal mining activities on my claim and continues to carry such out at the time of this application. If they are not stopped from continuing with their illegal conduct, I stand to suffer irreparable harm as gold is a finite resource which can never be recovered and thus the matter is urgent. Ndlovu is illegally extracting gold at my claim and there is no way of recovering or knowing how much they have extracted. It is on those grounds that I humbly submit that this matter is urgent and cannot wait to be set down on the normal basis."
RioZim is yet to file its answering affidavit.
Source - newsday
