Women artisanal miners have called for the deployment of armed detachments of the Police Support Unit to facilitate the arrest of Machete gangs terrorising Gwanda residents.
The violent gangs that usually strike in the wee hours of the night, have disrupted artisanal miners’ activities who can no longer operate peacefully.
Speaking to CYDT, a woman artisanal miner who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Before the resurfacing of Machete gangs, we travelled all the way to Bulawayo or Harare to sell our ore for good and fair prices. The emergence of Machete gangs now force us to sell our ore quickly here in Gwanda at very low prices. Its now risky to keep the ore for long as the gangs can strike at any time.”
Machete gangs usually travel from far away places to terrorise people. They target mining communities where they brutally assault and rob artisanal miners of their hard earned ore.
“The longer the time it takes for these Machete gangs to be driven out of our community, the bigger the damage these gangs will leave behind. Already people have been severely injured and there are also reports that others have been killed, so what will it takes for enough security officers and low enforcers to de deployed to protect human life?” another concerned woman artisanal miner asked, showing her disappointment with the slow reaction of authorities on the matter.
Artisanal miners said, they cannot abandon their mining activities since it was their only source of income and livelihood. They will continue with their operations although their operating in fear.
Let there be peace in Gwanda! We must all work collectively to bring Machete gangs to justice. Notify the Police Station nearby, when you witness any Machete-carrying gang in action.
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