VICE-PRESIDENT Kembo Mohadi has been dragged into a long-standing ownership dispute over gold mining claims in Shamva.
In a letter addressed to Mohadi, Korzim Strategic Minerals managing director Jairus Matsika appealed for Mohadi’s intervention saying powerful politicians were after his gold claims.
The letter was delivered on Friday last week.
Korzim, which has been operating four gold mining blocks in Shamva since 2009, claims to be the rightful owner of mining blocks 100, 101, 102, and 103, situated on New Brixton Farm.
According to Matsika, the company’s operations have been severely hampered since another company, Summerset Mining Syndicate, laid claim to the said mining blocks.
The mine dispute is in the courts.
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“Your Excellency, barely months into operations, another company called Summerset Mining Syndicate came and claimed ownership of the same place,” he wrote.
“We contested that in 2015 by taking Summerset Mining Syndicate, the provincial mining director and the provincial surveyor to court under case HC 8435/15.”
The dispute, which dates back to 2015, saw Korzim taking legal action against Summerset Mining Syndicate, the provincial mining director and the provincial surveyor under case number HC 8435/15.
“At that juncture Summerset Mining realising that they could not win the case, hatched a plan and forged a High Court judgment in their favour under a dubious High Court judge. Armed with that they resumed operations,” he said.
The syndicate then resumed operations on Korzim’s claims, leading to further court challenges from the indigenous company.
The letter outlined how Summerset Mining subsequently transferred Korzim’s claims to Canterbury Mining and Milling Company, owned by Australian national Gary Cybrow despite Korzim allegedly holding the original documents.
Canterbury, in turn, reportedly engaged Fourteen Karate Mining Syndicate to continue operations.
“At the same time, there was evidence that officials from the ministry were behind this dispute and involved corruptly in the mining dispute,” he said.
“Your Excellency, while challenging Summerset Mining Syndicate we discovered that they had already sold our place to another company called Canterbury Mining and Milling Company owned by a white man called Gary Cybrow, an Australian.”
Matsika said political interference had hindered Korzim’s efforts to resume operations and accused “powerful politicians” of being complicit in the on-going dispute.
“To put pressure on Korzim, a criminal case was opened by ZRP Shamva under CR 209/3/24; CID Minerals DR 06/4/24 and referred to Bindura Magistrate Court.
“However, of great concern is their connivance with the farm owner whom they are working with in order to frustrate us.”
Matsika alleged that the farm owner, Kingston Nyamakura, has been working with Cybrow and the syndicates to deny Korzim access to the mining site.
“We feel some powerful politicians are being paid to frustrate all our legitimate efforts to work on our claims despite being armed with genuine ownership documents as well as court judgments in our favour,” he said.
“Corruption is thriving and is very much alive in our case as gold syphoning is being exercised day and night from our claims.
“Your Excellency, it is our sincere hope and trust that your intervention will bring closure and sanity to this situation.”
In January, High Court judge Justice Amy Tsanga saved Korzim Strategic Minerals (Pvt) Ltd whose operations risked being halted for causing serious environmental degradation.
The applicant in the matter was Auriga Mineral Exploration (Pvt) Ltd, a holder of Exclusive Prospecting Order Number 1806 (EPO 1806) which it says was issued in 2021.
Auriga said Korzim had dangerously constructed a tunnel underneath the Shamva–Nyagande Road.
The company said it detected mining activities in its prospecting area in November 2023 through satellite images and went on an investigative mission to the site.
In defence, Korzim argued that Auriga had no locus standi to approach the courts, adding that the EPO 1806 did not permit it to encroach onto their space.