‘Cyanide barons’ convicted

FOUR illegal gold miners from Mudzi have been fined $300 each for illegal mining, as they got away with a wholly suspended six-month jail term for possession of the highly-poisonous cyanide.

Brian Kufakwemba, Denias Bondamakara, Simbai Kufakwemba and Thomas Nechombo were last week sentenced by a Mutoko magistrate, who also found them guilty of operating without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate.

The court heard that the four mounted cyanide tanks in an unprotected area in Makaha Village, exposing villagers and livestock to hazardous substances.

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