By Virginia Njovo
Four artisanal miners are in hot soup after they fatally assaulted a Bikita man whom they accused of stealing groceries.
Masvingo Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa confirmed the death of Tinashe Katsande (36) from Village 30, Chief Ziki in Bikita, urging members of the public to respect the law.
“I confirm the death of Katsande who was assaulted by a group of artisanal miners in Bikita. I urge members of the public not to take the law into their own hands to administer justice when they apprehend people whom they suspect to have committed a crime,” said Dhewa.
Three of the suspects Ephraim Chinhara (34) of village 30 Chief Ziki, Lovemore Chivizhe (44) of the same village and Obert Mundondo (59) of Musarurwa village in Chivhu have since been arrested while the fourth suspect Innocent Marima is still at large.
Circumstances are that on September 15 2024, Katsande was walking home carrying a sack with a half bucket of sorghum, 10kg mealie-meal, two bars of washing soap, and a road-runner chicken when he was intercepted by Chinhara, Chivizhe, Mundondo and Marima.
The four interrogated Katsande demanding to know where he had gotten the goods from. Katsande got aggressive in the process which led to the group assaulting him with sticks before he allegedly confessed that he had stolen the goods from Marima’s homestead.
Katsande was taken to Marima’s homestead as he claimed that he had stolen the items from his homestead only to realise he had lied as the latter denied owning the stolen items after which they decided to hand him over to a local police constabulary.
The group took Katsande to the police constabulary but he failed to walk due to injuries he had sustained from the assault. Katsande was left alone on the roadside and the group found him dead on their way back from the constabulary’s home.
Chivizhe, Mundondo and Chinhara were arrested and taken to ZRP Mashoko while Marima is still on the run. The body was taken to Mashoko Mission Hospital for post-mortem.
Bikita is known for its rich mineral deposits, attracting numerous artisanal miners from different places seeking fortunes. There is an increase in number of conflicts among these communities which has also led to an increase in number of murder cases.
Nationwide the incident reflects broader issues within artisanal mining sectors in the country as miners lack regulation and formal recognition making mining environments tense and life threatening to the community.
In June 2024, Tyson Matarise from Shurugwi (36) tragically lost his life at Dhija mine after being brutally stabbed by nine assailants.
