Clad in a dirty white T-Shirt emblazoned with the face of a
glum Emmerson Mnangagwa, an illegal gold miner sifts through brownish wet sands
and points out to a group of journalists, “this is gold”.
It is a gold rush of some sort which cannot be stopped by
once dreaded former president Robert Mugabe — a man whom they once deified but
now have little respect for since his dethronement by President Emmerson
Mnangagwa in a soft-coup last November.
The farm is called Smithfield, the owners are none other
than the Mugabes — Robert and his once politically powerful and influential
wife Grace, and the unwanted visitors are artisanal miners who have invaded the
flourishing citrus plantation in Mazowe.
The invaders’ ages vary — from the teens to the grey-haired
ones.
How things change. Tables have turned. There is a new
sheriff in town.
After ruling for a long 37 years, it was unimaginable that
one day, the same people who helped maintain his stranglehold on Zimbabwe,
would turn against him.
Old Mugabe is angry at his former allies, whom he regards
as the reincarnation of the much-vilified Judas Iscariot — that biblical
character who betrayed Jesus for a few pieces of silver.
But it’s not silver that the 60-plus men are digging for,
it’s gold.
And they vow to continue digging and digging — scarring the
environment and threatening the healthy, beautiful citrus shrubs, and
destroying irrigation equipment worth thousands of dollars in the process.
“We don’t care,” they say.
Just like everybody is feeling the pain of the tough going
in Zimbabwe, the miners too have to eke out a living in order to silence the
rumblings in their stomachs.
“We have families. We are Zimbabweans and we will not leave
unless if the president (Mnangagwa) says we should,” an illegal miner with a
face plastered with dirt and bloodshot eyes says.
“We are not scared of anyone but the president, and the
police are no match,” he said.
“The police lost authority when Mugabe was removed, so
unless the army steps in, we will not move, Grace herself has been here and we
have told her that she is no longer the first lady,” the miner said, adding “we
now have Auxilia (Mnangagwa’s wife).
“After all, the president has told us that Zimbabwe is open
for business and this is the business that we are doing”.
As he speaks, a man who identifies himself as the owner of
the mine claim, one Wastemore Kadungure, comes through and waves a discoloured
white paper which he claims is proof of ownership of the mine claims.
“We are here from all over Zimbabwe, some are coming from
as far as Bulawayo and the reason is because the mine is ours.
“I am a member of Zanu PF and unless the president himself
says we should leave, then I will not move, let them not mislead the world
saying that we are illegal miners — this is our land and Grace was using her
powers to take what belonged to us,” Kadungure said.
He claimed his uncle was once Mugabe’s bodyguard and
therefore there is no reason for him to dislike the former president, but then
he believes in justice.
“It is my mine that I got around 2002 but was forced to
leave by Grace when she was the first lady. Now that she is gone, I am back to
claim what is mine,” said Kadungure.
Although mining licences are renewed on an annual basis,
Kadungure’s letter is dated September 2012.
When she made her police report last month after the miners
settled on the farm, Grace pointed out that her properties had been invaded and
she asked for police’s intervention.
“I then asked them to stop their activities since I am the
owner of the farm and I am the holder of a special grant for the whole area.
“However, the crowd, led by one known as Nyasvingo, started
to shout obscenities at me and continued with their illegal activities.
“The illegal activities have since destroyed my irrigation
infrastructure which feeds the lemon section, and there is massive land
degradation.
“The activities also pose a threat to my children’s home as
the illegal panners are also seen loitering inside the home at night...I then
proceeded to Mazowe Police Station and made a report,” said Grace in her police
statement.
Stripped of power, Grace now fears she might be stripped of
her properties and rhetorically asked reporters whether Mnangagwa would like to
be treated the same way, if ever he loses power.
“Can you please leave this place because it is private
property,” Grace told the mob, which however, shot back saying “you are no
longer in power and you cannot do anything to us”.
Later, she asked reporters: “does it mean that
if...Mnangagwa is removed tomorrow he will be stripped of his investments.
“When we went there they were chanting Kutonga Kwaro, this
is politically motivated. Is this how he wants to be treated with his
investments?”
Mnangagwa has not yet answered, but his Home Affairs
minister Obert Mpofu has, labelling Grace a liar.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police attended the scene on March
30 and 31, 2018 and established through interviews and physical checks that
there were no illegal miners at the children’s home and lemon plantations,”
said Mpofu.
But pictures don’t lie.
Another syndicate of miners led by one Shepherd Nyasvingo
has withdrawn its case challenging the former first family’s ownership of the
disputed mine.
According to court documents, Nyasvingo, Bright Mawonga and
Mohammed Rezwani Khan withdrew their case against Gushungo Holdings (Gushungo)
on March 26.
“Please take notice that applicants hereby withdraw their
urgent chamber application against 2nd respondent (Gushungo) and will tender
wasted costs”.
A lawyer representing the former first family, Walter
Chivore, told reporters that he feels that his clients are being victimised but
put faith in the country’s legal system to interpret the law fairly and without
favour.
According to Chivore, the initial judgment against Gushungo
was rendered in default and they later challenged it indicating that they had
not been served with requisite papers.
“The record on the High Court consists the answering
affidavit and opposing affidavit and materially in response to the applicant,
Gushungo Holdings is arguing that it has special grand on the 6- hectare
property, while the applicants argued they had a certificate of inspection,”
Chivore said.
The Harare-based lawyer said the former first family, which
has a mining certificate issued in 2016, has right to the property and minerals
underground.
“On the 26th of March, the applicants filed a notice of
withdrawal against Gushungo Holdings.
“Essentially it means if they withdraw the charge against
the respondent, the court order they were using is now invalid. Those are the
legal issues we are looking at
According to the panners, they are now reaping the fruits
of a new Zimbabwe, after the removal of Mugabe following a military
orchestrated “soft coup” that resulted in Mnangagwa ascending to the coveted
presidency.
“This is the indigenisation that ... Mugabe introduced. We
are indigenous people and should be allowed to mine.
“All of us here are Zanu PF supporters and we are here to
eke a living,” said on of the miners.
According to the miners, Grace cannot lay claim to
Smithfield since she also owns Iron Mask that lies across the road.
And contrary to claims by Mpofu that they have been on the
disputed site before Grace’s intrusion, Kanengoni admitted they only came after
Mugabe’s fall.
A fortnight ago, Grace confronted the illegal artisanal
miners who have invaded her farm that also houses an orphanage and swiftly
proceeded to make a police report after the invaders had told her she was no
longer in power and could do nothing to them.
However, undeterred by the presence of the menacing miners
who were waving shovels and machetes Grace told them to leave the property but
they would not budge.
The former first lady then dared the farm invaders to
attack her but none made a move only murmuring before busting into the song
“Kutonga Kwaro” a piece by contemporary musician Jah Prayah that was, last
November, the sound track song of the soft coup that led to the downfall of
Mugabe.
With only skeletal security, after the State stripped her
of “bodyguards”, Grace then made a police report in the company of her
nephew—who is now some sort of her close bodyguard.
Since reports surfaced that Mugabe is backing the National
Patriotic Front (NPA) led by retired army general Ambrose Mutinhiri a party
which is linked to expelled and former Zanu PF officials, the former first
family has been subjected to unrestrained attacks by his erstwhile comrades
with some even threatening to expel the former strongman from the party he
founded along with other nationalists in 1963.
Although Mugabe has indicated a willingness to engage with
his protégé turned tormentor — he has been insistent that the present
administration under Mnangagwa is in power “illegally” and that he is not
happy.
Mugabe has said his family is being harassed while workers
are subjected to interrogations from alleged State security agents.
Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, George Charamba, has dismissed
his former boss’ assertions as a classical case of sour grapes. Daily News
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