Man hacked with machete in mine wrangle

A KWEKWE gold dealer is battling for life at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare after he was attacked by by unknown assailants using machetes, allegedly over a mining claim wrangle.

Mr Bekithemba Ndlovu of Amaveni was attacked in the early hours of last Tuesday at Amaveni Shopping Centre when he was on his way from a beer outing, police said.

Acting Midlands police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Joel Goko confirmed receiving the report and said they have since launched a manhunt for Ndlovu attackers. His family, however, suspects he could have been attacked over a dispute relating to a mining claim.

“He told me that he was in a dispute over a mining claim of late and things were not moving smoothly as the guys in question were threatening him with death,” his brother Mr Thuba Ndlovu told Sunday News.

Mr Thuba Ndlovu said on the day, he received a call from a police officer informing him that his brother had been admitted to Kwekwe General Hospital.

“I rushed there and found out that he could not even talk as he was on life support,” he said.

He said Bekithemba was then transferred to Parirenyatwa after doctors recommended that he had to undergo X-ray.

The incident comes at a time when police in Kwekwe are trying to deal with the increase in the use of dangerous weapons among gold panners. Police in Kwekwe have since criminalised carrying of dangerous weapons such as machetes, knobkerries, knives, catapults among others. They have also introduced stop and search operations and embarked on awareness campaigns to encourage people to live harmoniously.