One person died while another two were severely injured in Inyathi, Bubi District, Matabeleland North when a gang of about 50 gold panners went on a rampage attacking other miners in the area.
In a Twitter post, the Zimbabwe Republic Police said the violence occurred on Sunday and Monday this week.
“Fifty artisanal miners armed with machetes and axes went on a rampage, attacking other miners. Two male adults were severely assaulted and they sustained serious injuries.
“One resultantly died upon admission to Inyathi Hospital. The accused person, who informed other gold panners of his heinous deed, is still at large,” tweeted ZRP.
Recently, Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Larry Mavima said machete-wielding gangs had caused extensive damage in the province resulting in Government tasking the provincial Joint Operations Command to deal effectively with the issue.
Zimbabwe Republic Police recently revealed that general crime has increased by 33 percent in the Midlands Province with Zvishavane and Mberengwa districts the most affected.
Officiating the annual ZRP Zvishavane district Cop of the Year Awards recently, ZRP Officer commanding Midlands province Moses Magandi said a total of 3709 cases were received in 2019 as compared to 2789 received during the same period last year.
“The increase in crime is attributed to an influx of artisanal miners from other parts of the country who come to our area searching for precious stones since we are blessed with mineral deposits in this district.
“Zvishavane and Mberengwa were the most affected stations, the district was hit by a number of crimes such as unlawful entry, assault cases, theft, stock theft, rape of juveniles and robbery,” he said.