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- Police descend on Kitsiyatota
- 1000 armed soldiers were deployed
- Operation to flush out illegal miners gathers momentum
THE Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) on Monday descended on Kitsiyatota mine in Bindura after it sealed off Jumbo mine to get rid of illegal miners.
The cleansing operation which commenced last week was made up of 1000 armed soldiers from Support Unit drawn from Mashonaland Central province.
In an interview with Zim Morning Post Monday, Mashonaland Central police spokesperson, Inspector Milton Ndende said it was a nationwide operation and an ongoing blitz to net those engaged in unlawful mining operations.
“The operation was implemented before and we will flush out all illegal miners, the police are not only in Kitsiyatota, but they are everywhere now,” Ndende said.
In 2016, two illegal miners were trapped to death at Kitsiyatota mine in Mashonaland Central province yesterday prompting police to destroy all make shifts shelters at the site.
Eyewitnesses said one illegal miner was trapped and his brother unsuccesfully made an attempt to rescue him, before getting trapped as well.
“One miner was trapped and his brother could not let him die, so he tried to rescue him and he was also trapped we think the two are dead as we speak,” said the source.
Meanwhile, the ZRP sealed off Jumbo gold mine in Mazowe in order to rein in marauding machete-wielding gangs.
At least 907 illegal miners were arrested and 18 vehicles impounded in Mashonaland Central.
