‘More than 100 hacked to death in Zim mine machete wars’ 8 November 2019

At least 105 people were murdered all in a space of three months in Zimbabwe’s violence prone mining areas of Kadoma and other neighbouring districts. This emerged in a report by the Zimbabwe Peace Project, a local NGO that records and documents violations of a political nature in the country. Zimbabwe’s widespread and lucrative artisanal mining has proven to be a death sentence to many with mobs often caught up in machete wars that have turned fatal. Likewise, ordinary citizens are also caught in the crossfire or in some instances, they are direct targets of the gangs.

…The ZPP’s October Monthly Monitoring report says statistics from Kadoma Hospital show that between August and October this year, 105 murders were reported in mining areas, with 221 cases of assaults at mines. Reads the ZPP report, “An official at Kadoma Hospital provided the following statistics from the month of August to October; 105 murders in mining areas, 221 cases of assaults at mines, 24 murders in the community.”

…President Emmerson Mnangagwa Wednesday condemned violence and lawlessness among artisanal miners. He was addressing delegates attending the inaugural Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners Conference hosted by the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) in Gweru. “We have heard through the media about the lawlessness from among artisanal miners, some invading other people’s mines while armed with machetes…we have said we don’t want this, anyone found in possession of these dangerous weapons should be arrested and jailed,” said President Mnangagwa.