BULAWAYO - Police The operation, code named Chikorokoza Hachidzoki, saw more than 30 police officers in riot gear descending on the homes of illegal gold panners, impounding their mining equipment and arresting hundreds. Some of the illegal gold panners who escaped arrest told The Zimbabwean that during the raid police ordered them to burn all their plastic shacks before impounding their mining equipment.
At Vova Mine just outside Gwanda they impounded three vehicles which were being used to transport gold ore from the panning sites to the dam for processing. Police said the mine was operating without a licence from the Ministry of Mines. “The operation will continue for the next few months and the police will also keep constant checks on the area. We will not rest until sanity is totally restored,” said police spokesperson for Matabeleland South, Thabani Mkhwananzi. Mkwananzi said that a number of illegal gold panners managed to flee from the area while some are believed to be hiding in mine shafts.