The Police in a restore law and order in mining communities operation has rounded up 1536 illegal miners countrywide, The Herald reports.
191 have already been jailed for different crimes ranging from mining without a license to trespassing. The arrests were confirmed by ZRP National Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi who said:
ZRP assures the nation that follow-ups are going to be vigorously undertaken on anyone involved in machete-wielding gang acts and illegal mining. The police are working flat out to ensure that law and order is maintained throughout the country.
The ongoing operation against illegal mining and machete-wielding gangs has so far accounted for 1 536 accused persons. The police recovered several vehicles, firearms, a toy gun, explosives, machetes, pepper sprays, ammunition, digital scale and assorted mining implements.
Machete-wielding gangs have headlined for the wrong reasons for weeks now including killing a police officer and robbing and r_ping women in some areas.
More: The Herald