Odzi mine wrangle: High Court interdicts Zanu PF councillor

THE Odzi mine ownership wrangle recently spilled into the High Court which granted an interim order interdicting Zanu PF councillor Luckson Mawanga’s Paari Mining Syndicate from carrying out operations at the mine.

The interdict was granted against Mawanga’s Paari Syndicate last week by Harare High Court judge Justice Amy Tsanga.

The applicant, Twin Castle, had cited Paari Mining Syndicate, Manicaland provincial mining director Omen Dube, Mines minister Winstone Chitando and Odzi Police Station officer-in-charge, Inspector Kadoro, as respondents.

“The first respondent and anyone acting on their behalf are hereby interdicted from mining and extracting or processing any mineral ore or carrying out any other form of mining at snipe B46, an area covered by registration notices 019994AA and 019995AA,” the order read.

“The first respondent, and, is hereby interdicted to desist from denying applicant’s employees entry into stripe B46 Mine and interfering with applicants employees and protecting the rights within the pending applicants registration notice 01999AA and 019995AA.

“In the event that the first respondent or its agents continue to deny the applicants access to the mining location, the first respondent be and hereby ordered to assist the applicant access and gain entry to the said mining location,” the order added.

“It is hereby declared that the first respondent does not have any rights to carry out mining activities at the stripe B and said registration notices.

“It is hereby declared that the first respondent certificates of registration of Snipe B are cancelled.”

Paari Mining Syndicate, through its lawyer Passmore Nyakureba of Maunga, Maanda and Associates, said it would appeal the ruling.

“Our position is very clear. We have seen the interdict, and we have since been instructed to appoint a lawyer in Harare to challenge it,” Nyakureba said.