Search / Illegal gold miners
Illegal miners threaten Bulawayo infrastructure projects
The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has raised alarm over the escalating invasion of its Khumalo gravel pit by illegal gold miners, warning that the activities of these panners threaten to derail critical...Published: 16 Jul 2025 at 07:43hrs | 360 | by Staff reporter
NUST enlists police to combat illegal gold mining on campus
The National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has called in the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to help tackle a growing crisis of illegal gold panning that has infiltrated its main campus i...Published: 16 Apr 2025 at 22:56hrs | 200 | by Staff reporter
Illegal gold miner shot dead at Eureka mine
Hundreds of illegal gold miners stormed Eureka gold mine offices in Guruve yesterday in protest of a fatal shooting at the mine on Thursday....Published: 26 Oct 2024 at 20:24hrs | 1448 | by Simbarashe Sithole in Guruve
Illegal gold miners invade Bulawayo suburbs
Certain suburbs in Bulawayo are experiencing severe land degradation due to illegal gold mining activities. This destructive mining, which includes both open cast and deep shaft operations, ha...Published: 22 Aug 2024 at 07:14hrs | 928 | by Staff reporter
Bulawayo's daytime sex work solicitation raises concerns
Bulawayo's downtown is witnessing a shift in the landscape of sex work, with sex workers establishing a noticeable daytime presence. This trend has raised concerns among residents and property owners,...Published: 20 Jul 2024 at 11:46hrs | 1136 | by Staff reporter
18 illegal miners who petrol bombed a mine denied bail
Eighteen illegal gold miners who caused mayhem at Rosa mine in Chiweshe last week by destroying property and severely injuring people we...Published: 27 Jun 2024 at 06:11hrs | 13 | by Simbarashe Sithole
Miner stoned to death over gold
FOUR illegal gold miners from Hope Fountain have been arrested for allegedly stoning their workmate to death and throwing his body into a mineshaft.Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Insp...Published: 15 Feb 2024 at 10:04hrs | 1 | by Staff reporter
Miners wreak havoc on roads
GOVERNMENT has expressed shock after illegal gold miners dug a four-metre tunnel under a section of the Gwanda-Beitbridge Road as vandalism of national infrastructure persists.Road and railway...Published: 13 Jan 2024 at 06:48hrs | 15 | by Staff reporter
Gwanda - Beitbridge road faces collapse as illegal miner tunnel under it
ILLEGAL gold miners have dug a 4-metre tunnel under a section of the Gwanda-Beitbridge Road as their vandalism of national infrastructure continues unabated with several roads and railway infrastructu...Published: 13 Jan 2024 at 06:47hrs | 17 | by Staff reporter
Gold panners dig under the Beitbridge-Gwanda Highway
MOTORISTS using the Beitbridge-Gwanda Highway have expressed concern over a huge crack which has appeared at the 141km peg.The crack is believed to have been caused by gold panners who have re...Published: 10 Jan 2024 at 05:53hrs | 5 | by Staff reporter
Tempers flare over trapped Redwing miners
Tempers flared yesterday at Redwing Mine in Penhalonga where about 11 artisanal miners were trapped underground after a mine shaft collapsed, with relatives accusing government of fumbling the rescue ...Published: 07 Jan 2024 at 17:41hrs | 13 | by Staff reporter
Illegal gold miners trapped
Two illegal gold miners who were panning for gold in Shamva were trapped on Sunday after the shaft curved in.Tanatswa Mutsau (25) died on the spot while Bright Chidzanga (31) cheated death....Published: 25 Oct 2023 at 21:10hrs | 1 | by Simbarashe Sithole
40 workers trapped after mine shaft collapses
On Friday, a tragic incident occurred at the Bay Horse mine in the Chakari region of Chegutu, situated approximately 100 kilometers to the west of Harare, resulting in the loss of six miners' lives....Published: 30 Sep 2023 at 10:37hrs | 3 | by Staff reporter
Zimbabwean family buries four Boksburg gas victims
A SOMBRE atmosphere engulfed Lushongwe Village in Gwanda as relatives and friends of four family members who were part of the 17 people who died from gas inhalation at an informal settlement in Boksbu...Published: 17 Jul 2023 at 06:55hrs | 16 | by Staff reporter
Vehicles, shops torched as rival miners clash
THREE Honda Fit vehicles as well as a number of tuck-shops were set on fire in a fight between two rival groups of miners at Wanderer gold mine in Shurugwi.The incident happened on Friday when...Published: 21 Jun 2023 at 06:20hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Three appear in court for Illegal Gold Mining
Three illegal gold miners appeared at Concession magistrates courts on Saturday on charges of prospecting for gold without a license at Manzou farm ...Published: 18 Jun 2023 at 13:41hrs | | by Desmond Nleya
Gold panners wreak havoc in Matebeleland South
CHIEF Jahana of Matebeleland South province has expressed concern over illegal gold miners who are terrorising villagers in the province.In an interview with Southern Eye recently, the traditi...Published: 24 Apr 2023 at 07:50hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Zimbabwe in desperate need of national leaders not Mafia bosses and gang leaders!
It was the most heartbreaking sight - as images of a collapsed primary school in my home city of Kwekwe made the rounds across the country. In fact, the stab to my heart was made more excrucia...Published: 20 Mar 2023 at 09:17hrs | 11 | by Tendai Ruben Mbofana
Gold dealer bashed to death
Two illegal gold miners are in soup after they allegedly bashed an unknown gold dealer to death in Mazowe.Partson Mushokoli (29) and Sa...Published: 19 Feb 2023 at 07:10hrs | | by Simbarashe Sithole
Zimbabwe bans owning metal detectors without a licence
GOVERNMENT is crafting a new law to ban the owning of a metal detector without a licence, a move that has been welcomed as this will stem land degradation and veld fires reportedly caused by illegal g...Published: 24 Oct 2022 at 06:08hrs | 4 | by Staff reporter
Illegal miners collapse university road
STUDENTS, teachers and residents using a road that links Midlands State University (MSU) Zvishavane campus and Noelvale suburb woke up to find a section of the road collapsed into an underground tunne...Published: 17 Oct 2022 at 06:08hrs | 3 | by Staff reporter
Gold panners impose curfew
RESIDENTS of Esigodini in Matabeleland South province are living in fear of suspected illegal panners who are terrorising them and have reportedly imposed some form of a ‘7 pm curfew' in the a...Published: 07 Oct 2022 at 05:55hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Scores injured as illegal miners storm village
Villagers in the Malungwane area of Umzingwane District are living in fear after they were attacked by suspected illegal gold miners armed with spears, machetes and axes on Wednesday afternoon, leavin...Published: 16 Sep 2022 at 06:05hrs | 1 | by Staff reporter
Jesse Halfway Hotel: The fall of a luxurious stopover
A pungent smell of urine engulfs the environs around Jesse Halfway Hotel, located right in the middle of Bulawayo and Beitbridge, in the West Nicholson area, at an equi-distance of 160 kilometres....Published: 16 Aug 2022 at 06:37hrs | 3 | by Staff reporter
Illegal miners strain SA - Zimbabwe relations
DIPLOMATIC relations between Zimbabwe and South Africa may soon reach a new low amid concerns in Pretoria that illegal gold miners from Mozambique, Lesotho and Zimbabwe are engaged in violent criminal...Published: 13 Aug 2022 at 14:22hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Illegal miners threaten railway tracks
SMALL-scale chrome miners have invaded Mapanzure area in Zvishavane, Midlands Province, where they are conducting illegal mining activities along the Gweru-Zvishavane railway line, amid growing fears ...Published: 10 Aug 2022 at 06:31hrs | 3 | by Staff reporter
Mzi Khumalo urged to dispose of Zimbabwe mines
SOUTH African mining magnate Mzi Khumalo is under pressure to dispose of Redwing Mine in Penhalonga, Manica- land province and Mazowe Gold Mine in Mashonaland Central as the mines have become hotbeds ...Published: 29 Jul 2022 at 19:06hrs | 10 | by Staff reporter
Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF goes for broke
Zanu-PF appears to be going for broke ahead of the 2023 general elections by engaging illegal gold miners in a move many have described as crude electioneering.Zanu-PF national political commi...Published: 06 Jul 2022 at 18:07hrs | 14 | by Staff reporter
Gold panners dig up school premises
Kwekwe Central MP Judith Tobaiwa (Citizens Coalition for Change) has called on authorities to take action against gold panners causing environmental degradation at a primary school in the gold m...Published: 18 Jun 2022 at 07:29hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Zimbabwean illegal miners wreak havoc in Botswana, SA
To the residents of Matsiloje in northern Botswana, no foreigner is unwelcome unless they commit a crime.This is due to their own lives being deeply linked with their fellow clan members in Zi...Published: 12 Jun 2022 at 09:24hrs | 30 | by Staff reporter
Gold panners dig under Kwekwe school
AUTHORITIES at Globe and Phoenix Primary School in Kwekwe have expressed concern that its classroom blocks face collapse as gold panners were digging under the school.Globe and Phoenix school ...Published: 31 May 2022 at 06:29hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Machete gang leader shot dead by police
A MACHETE gang leader was fatally shot by police in Bindura after the gang attacked detectives who had come to rescue mine workers it had kidnapped and assaulted over a mining dispute.The inci...Published: 13 Mar 2022 at 08:01hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Machete ringleader killed in police shootout
AN alleged ringleader of illegal gold miners, Claudius Tavazera (21) was on Friday gunned down by the police in a shootout in Bindura.In a statement yesterday, police said Tavazera was on thei...Published: 08 Mar 2022 at 05:41hrs | | by Staff reporter
Dreams made and dreams shattered at West Nicholson's 'Entabeni yegolide'
"Intaba yeWest" or "Entabeni yegolide", the soaring mountain with impervious vegetation along the Gwanda-Beitbridge highway in West Nicholson is not for the faint hearted.From afar, the mounta...Published: 19 Feb 2022 at 18:33hrs | 1 | by Staff reporter
Mnangagwa chides his corrupt officials looting gold
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has admitted top government officials were plundering gold through illegal mining activities.He warned punitive action will forthwith be taken against such errant ...Published: 17 Feb 2022 at 05:33hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Umzingwane Dam chokes
TWO unregistered dams built in the Umzingwane Dam catchment area and gold panning activities along Umzingwane River have contributed to the Bulawayo supply dam not impounding adequate water since the ...Published: 11 Feb 2022 at 05:43hrs | 11 | by Staff reporter
Two illegal miners trapped to death
By Simbarashe SitholeTwo illegal gold miners were trapped to death in separate incidents while prospecting for gold in Mashonaland Central province last week.Kenmore Bambama ...Published: 18 Dec 2021 at 18:06hrs | 10 | by Simbarashe Sithole
Illegal miners up for attempted murder
EIGHT Shamva based illegal gold miners are in soup for attempting to kill a rival group in a gold rush.Llyod Musemwa, Tafadzwa Bandawa,...Published: 18 Dec 2021 at 18:05hrs | 10 | by Simbarashe Sithole
Eight gold panners nabbed for malicious damage of property
EIGHT Shamva based illegal gold miners were arrested and dragged to court on Tuesday after they damaged a Honda fit belonging to another rival group of il...Published: 16 Dec 2021 at 20:02hrs | 8 | by Simbarashe Sithole
Amakorokoza spread fear in Cowdray Park
GANGS of illegal gold miners popularly known as Amakorokoza or ogwejas are terrorising communities across Cowdray Park in Bulawayo with residents now calling on the police to increase patrols in unele...Published: 14 Nov 2021 at 05:39hrs | 10 | by Staff reporter
Three gold panners die at Jumbo mine
THREE illegal gold miners died on Friday after they inhaled toxic gases at Mazowe mine (Jumbo).Witnesses said the three bodies were retrieved yesterday and police is yet to identify them....Published: 17 Oct 2021 at 14:03hrs | 3 | by Simbarashe Sithole
Nehanda shrine under siege from illegal gold miners
SITUATED 30km north of Harare is an area of rocky hillsides overlooking the Mazowe River.The area boasts several botanical interests.However, Gomba, as the area is also known, is...Published: 17 Oct 2021 at 09:05hrs | 3 | by Staff reporter
Mnangagwa warns 'name-droppers' in bloody clashes over gold claims
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's office has distanced the Zanu-PF leader from the bloody clashes over the control of one of Manicaland's richest gold mines.Pedzai Scott Sakupwanya, a gold dealer...Published: 10 Oct 2021 at 06:57hrs | 6 | by Staff reporter
Belarus elites' golden deals with Mnangagwa
IN MARCH 2018, Belarus' autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko dispatched his right-hand man Viktor Sheiman to Zimbabwe to negotiate trade and business deals on the government's behalf.Shei...Published: 09 Oct 2021 at 07:25hrs | 12 | by Staff reporter
Gold panners invade several Bulawayo suburbs
GOLD panners have invaded several suburbs in Bulawayo causing environmental degradation and raising security concerns.Some of the suburbs affected by these illegal gold miners include Mahatshu...Published: 28 Sep 2021 at 06:07hrs | 3 | by Staff reporter
Panners invade school yard
ILLEGAL gold miners, who invaded Loreto High School in Silobela last month, have defied police eviction orders and clandestinely continued with their mining activities at the Catholic-run institution,...Published: 25 Sep 2021 at 06:05hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Woman hires hitmen for hubby, commits suicide
A WOMAN from Nyamandlovu in Matabeleland North committed suicide on Tuesday after police were closing in on her for hiring three hitmen to kill her youthful husband two weeks ago. Ms Sitshengi...Published: 14 Aug 2021 at 07:19hrs | | by Staff reporter
Panners encroach onto Bulawayo- Gwanda Highway
ILLEGAL gold miners have encroached onto the Gwanda-Bulawayo Highway, posing a risk to motorists and passengers. Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights coordinator Khumbulani Maphosa said they were w...Published: 19 Jul 2021 at 06:46hrs | 2 | by Staff reporter
Battle to rescue three trapped illegal miners
The Shurugwi District Civil Protection Unit (CPU) has since Monday been battling to rescue three illegal gold miners who are trapped after a mine tunnel they were working in collapsed. The thr...Published: 01 Jul 2021 at 09:17hrs | | by Staff Reporter
Toxic gases kill illegal miners
Two illegal miners died at Sos, Jumbo mine in Mazowe after inhaling toxic gases in a disused shaft where they were panning for gold on Monday....Published: 17 Jun 2021 at 07:10hrs | 11 | by Simbarashe Sithole
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