A relative of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, identified as Albert Garikai Mnangagwa, is accused of terrorising villagers in Mashonaland West Province over gold mining claims.
Sources told NewZimbabwe.com on Sunday that Albert, along with a group of armed men, descended on a lucrative gold mine project in Makonde district, designated for ZANU PF youths, and began looting the precious mineral.
Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs Minister Marian Chombo, ZANU PF Provincial Chairperson Mary Mliswa-Chikoka, provincial police officials, and the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development officials have reportedly been alerted to the situation.
It is alleged that unidentified gunmen have been patrolling the area to intimidate the local youths, who are organizing to resist the takeover of the mine.
One affected youth, who wished to remain anonymous, staged a solo protest in Makonde over the weekend, displaying placards with various messages of resistance. One of the placards was written:
Gari A. Mnangagwa get out of Makonde, bvisa vanhu vako nepfuti dzako hatidi hondo. Usatipambe maini yema youth eMakonde. Wanyanya wajaira kupamba (Get out of Makonde, remove your people and your guns, we don’t want war. Don’t grab youths’ mine. You have gone rogue, and this is intolerable).
In another poster, the protester appealed to top ZANU PF officials, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and his counterpart, Kembo Mohadi, and the ZANU PF national chairman, urging them to intervene and come to the aid of the villagers in Makonde. He said:
Vakuru vedu vanoremekedzwa, baba VP vaChiwenga, baba VP vaMohadi, amai vaMuchinguri, tinunureiwo in Makonde, isu ma youths against Gari A. Mnangagwa and his brutal team (Respected elders, Vice President Chiwenga, Vice President Mohadi, and Mrs Muchinguri, please save us in Makonde. We, the youths, are against Gari A. Mnangagwa and his brutal team).
NewZimbabwe.com reported that attempts to obtain comments from police and Ministry of Mines officials were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
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