MINERS have called on the government to impose a
shoot-to-kill policy when dealing with machete gangs, popularly known as
MaShurugwi, who have unleashed a terror campaign in the mining sector.
In an interview yesterday, Zimbabwe Miners Federation
secretary-general, who is also Matabeleland South provincial secretary for
small-scale miners, Philimon Mokoena, said it was high time the government
adopted a hard-line stance against machete gangs.
“This is the right time for government to put such policy
on the machete gangs. They have caused enough problems for miners and
government should put a stop to it right now. A shoot-to-kill policy will work
to put deterrent measures to their activities,” he said.
Also calling on retailers who sell machetes and pangas to
be regulated, he added: “They should not sell these weapons over the counter to
anyone who just walks in to buy. I think there should be a good reason given by
someone buying these weapons. It should not be that everyone who thinks of
buying a machete will have it readily available,” he said.
The call comes a few days after the Parliamentary Portfolio
Committee on Mines and Mining Development asked the government to impose
stiffer sentences against the machete gangs, who they said were now a danger to
society.
The call was made as part of its resolutions following an
urgent meeting on the activities of the terror gangs at Parliament last week.
The committee also resolved that government should
kick-start legislative procedures to allow for stiffer penalties with regard to
such perpetrators as was done in the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act
regarding the vandalism of railway and electrical material, among others.
The machete gangs have unleashed a reign of terror in the
mining areas where they have killed dozens of people, robbing them of their
gold and other valuables.
Their actions have prompted the government to declare war
on their activities and deploying security agents to restore sanity in the
mining sector
According to statistics, machete gangs have killed over 100
people in gold wars.
Last week, 47 machete gang members were arrested after two
of them were shot by the police when they hired commuter omnibuses from Kwekwe
to attack a police station in Gokwe North.
The gang intended to force the release their colleagues who
were in police custody. Newsday
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