ESIGODINI villagers in Umzingwane district, Matabeleland South province, are living in fear of machete-wielding artisanal miners terrorising the communities.
The gold-rich district has for some time been an El Dorado for artisanal miners who occasionally engage in bloody turf wars, with villagers being caught up in the crossfire.
In an interview with Southern Eye, Umzingwane traditional leader Chief Gwebu implored State security agents to increase their presence in the area to curb the escalating gold wars and violence being committed by artisanal miners.
“We ask the police to help us fight gold panners who move around carrying weapons and some will be under the influence of drugs,” Chief Gwebu said.
“Therefore, it’s hard to sit down and negotiate with them to stop carrying weapons in public because they hardly listen to anyone.”
The artisanal miners are also leaving a trail of destruction, including open pits, which pose a danger to human, wildlife and domestic animals.
“This endangers the lives of the villagers and their livestock. We will try all means to gather all of them and encourage them to desist from such behaviour,” Chief Gwebu added.
