Grace Mugabe implicated in brutal assault of mine workers

Several artisanal miners were left nursing serious injuries on Tuesday after they were allegedly assaulted by a group of armed men at Mondo 3 Mine near Mazowe in an incident that has reportedly been linked to former First Lady Grace Mugabe.

The victims sustained injuries including bruises, fractures and head wounds after they were allegedly attacked with fists, hammers, batons and rifle butts.

Four of the injured miners were treated at Concession District Hospital, while the incident was reported to Mazowe Police Station under reference CR32/07/26.

The alleged assault occurred at Mondo 3 Mine, situated near Smithfield Farm, a 1,300-hectare property owned by the Mugabe family, approximately 39.5 kilometres north of Harare along the Bindura Road.

Smithfield Farm borders Mondo 3 and Mondo 4 mines, which the Mugabe family claims fall within its property boundaries. The area has been at the centre of a long-running dispute over mining rights and has witnessed several violent confrontations in recent years.

According to one of the injured miners, who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation, Grace Mugabe arrived at the mine accompanied by about 20 men travelling in two white Ford Rangers, a Land Rover Defender and a Range Rover. The witness alleged that five members of the group were carrying AK-47 rifles.

The miner claimed the group ordered everyone at the mine, including the mine manager, to sit down before allegedly instructing the manager to bow before Grace Mugabe.

"They started beating miners at a neighbouring mine where we heard the security guard had been assaulted and everyone else ordered to leave before coming to Mondo 3 Mine where we work," the miner alleged.

"I ran to call my boss, thinking he would be able to deal with the matter, only to realise that he had no such power after he was told to bow and sit down in the presence of the 'Queen', referring to Grace.

"I was then taken together with a workmate and told to sit at Grace's feet. As we were about to do so, my colleague was slapped and struck on the forehead with a hammer.

"When I tried to intervene after seeing that he was bleeding heavily, Grace allegedly ordered that I also be beaten because I was 'too talkative'. Two of her guards then pinned me down and repeatedly struck me on the ribs with a hammer," the miner alleged.

Police have since arrested four of the five men who were allegedly armed with AK-47 rifles. The suspects were expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

The incident is the latest in a series of violent disputes surrounding the Mondo mines, where ownership and mining rights have remained contentious since the removal of former President Robert Mugabe from office in 2017.

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, Grace Mugabe's son, is currently out on US$200 bail in connection with a separate alleged violent incident that occurred at the mining site last year.

Police had not yet released an official statement on the latest incident at the time of publication, while Grace Mugabe had not publicly responded to the allegations.