A Kwekwe gold miner has been reported to police on charges of having stolen gold ore and other mining accessories from a mine at the centre of a boundary dispute.
Chanakira Masuku is accused of stealing about 1.5kg of gold, tonnes of gold ore worth over US$30 000, two drums of cyanide and caustic soda from Somerset 16 mine in Sosombe, Kwekwe, NewsDay reported citing a police report case number 5393592.
Masuku is also accused of vandalising a perimeter fence of the Somerset 16 mine owned by Mistopher Khan under registration number 24107. The mine was registered on September 10, 2002.
Records show that Masuku is the registered owner of Somerset 792 and 791 under registration numbers 32929 and 32928 respectively.
However, Masuku has been accused of encroaching into Khan’s Somerset 16 to loot gold ore and other mining accessories.
He was reported to Police on Monday, 26 December 2022.
A few months ago, Masuku was reported to the Mines and Mining Development ministry on charges of encroaching into Somerset 16 and the neighbouring Old Crick mine 5 and Old Crick 11 owned by Ashraft Khan.
According to minutes of a dispute resolution meeting held on July 14, 2022, it was established that Masuku’s Somerset 792 was illegally pegged by some corrupt mining officials. The minutes read in part:
Somerset 792 falls completely within Old Crick 11 and is recommended for cancellation. It was pegged in breach of section 31 of the (Mines and Mining) Act.