Zim gold smuggling teen busted for ‘illegal mining’

A 17-year-old Zimbabwean minor, three of his countrymen, and a local appeared in court on Friday for allegedly and unlawfully being found in possession of unwrought precious metals suspected to be gold.

The accused’s arrest comes on the heels of the release of a four-part documentary titled, ‘The Gold Mafia’ by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) which has triggered outrage in Zimbabwe.

The State alleges that the minor, (name withheld), his countrymen, Matanda Watson, 33, Maxwell Chiverere, 40, Barnabas Ndlovu, 33, and a local bus driver, Obert Makani, 44, were found in possession of unwrought gold on March 29 in Block 8 location.

The minor, Chiverere, and Barnabas also pleaded guilty to a charge of entering Botswana using an illegal point of entry while Watson sent someone to fetch his passport, which showed that he entered Botswana legally.

When the accused appeared in court, prosecutor Mompoloki Mabalane applied for the accused to be remanded in custody because investigations in the matter are still at their initial stages. “In respect of count one, investigations are still at their initial stages and we have since sent the suspected unwrought gold to a forensic laboratory to confirm if the two stones that the accused were found in possession of are indeed gold or not.

“We, therefore, make an application that the accused be remanded in custody pending investigations. We also pray that pleas should be reserved in respect of this charge,” said Mabalane.

Magistrate Tshepo Magetse acceded to the application made by the State and remanded the accused in custody.

“I also make an order that Makani and Watson should be fingerprinted to confirm that they have previous convictions or not and if they have any other pending cases before our courts,” Magetse said. Cases of illegal gold mining around Francistown and Matsiloje environs are rising exponentially. This has fuelled concerns that the gold mined illegally might end up being sold legally in Zimbabwe since most of the people implicated in this type of trade are artisanal miners from that country.

The I-Unit documentary has also raised similar concerns.

According to Mining Technology, smallscale mining is tolerated and sometimes encouraged in Zimbabwe due to the practice’s significant contributions to the country’s economy.

Up to 500,000 people are estimated to work in smallscale mining operations, which were responsible for nearly half of the 24.8 tonnes of gold produced in Zimbabwe in 2017. The sector has also received considerable government backing, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa investing $150m into the operations in 2018, says Mining Technology.

Mining law in Zimbabwe is governed by the 1961 Mines and Mineral Act, which permits any individual, provided they are a ‘permanent resident of Zimbabwe,’ to apply for a mining licence.

Cases of illegal gold mining around Francistown

and Matsiloje environs are rising

exponentially