By Lloyd Takawira
Running battles between machete terror gangs and authorities countrywide are bearing fruits as thousands of illegal miners have been arrested .
In a statement Assistant Commissioner, Paul Nyathi confirmed the police had so far arrested 1 823 suspected illegal miners during the ongoing operation “Chikorokoza Ngachipere / No to Machete Gangs”.
Among the latest batch arrested is a member of the Ziga machete gang who allegedly murdered Constable Wonder Hokoyo in Battlefields.
The murder suspect one, Lloyd Kasena was arrested in Shamva after Phelandaba Tshuma (32), the ‘ringleader’ of the Ziga machete gang, was picked by police weeks ago .
“Of interest is the arrest of one Lloyd Kasena who belongs to a machete gang called Ziga. He was on police’s most wanted list for the murder of Constable Wonder Hokoyo and has since confessed to that.
“He also has cases of attempted murder and assault committed in 2018 and six cases of robbery which occurred in 2019.
“He is the one in the video that recently went viral on social media while holding a Colombian knife and wearing blue a T-shirt, shouting ‘Ziga’, in the company of Phelandaba Tshuma,” he said.
Police recently declared Jumbo Mine in Mazowe a no go area.
In Gwanda , 45 illegal gold panners were arrested and eight vendors at Vhovha Mine in , while five more were arrested for disorderly conduct.
“Mining implements, dangerous weapons such as axes, knobkerries, iron bars and an assortment of food stuffs, drinks, soap, and liquor were recovered in the process,” Asst Comm Nyathi said.
“We would like to urge licensed miners and farmers to report any illegal miners and machete gangs that are hiding on their farms. So far there is compliance at Jumbo Mine and ZRP is on top of the situation,” he said.
