The Zimbabwe government regrets the killing of a gold miner by police last week, but will continue to arrest people suspected of illegal mining and dealing in precious minerals, the country’s home affairs minister was quoted as saying on Thursday.
A total of 24 890 people have been arrested since November 21 when police launched Operation Chikorokoza Chapera (No Illegal Panning), Kembo Mohadi told reporters in the capital, Harare.
Mohadi said it is regrettable that a police patrol shot and killed an illegal miner near the central town of Shurugwi last Thursday. It is not the intention of police to shoot suspects, state radio reported Mohadi as saying.
The minister claimed external criminal syndicates are working in league with local miners to extract precious minerals like gold, diamonds and emeralds and to smuggle them outside the country.
”We take note that some of our people have also contributed to these economic woes by smuggling our precious minerals to enrich themselves to the detriment of the nation, while at the same time damaging the environment,” the state-controlled Herald newspaper quoted him as saying.
Last year diamonds were discovered in the eastern district of Marange and more than 20 000 people flocked to the area in the hope of striking it rich.
The government sent in police after it emerged that most of the diamonds were being sold to illegal dealers instead of to the official Minerals Marketing Corporation.
There is a ready market for gold, diamonds and emeralds from illegal dealers, some of them foreigners from countries such as Belgium, Mozambique and South Africa, who can pay hard cash for the minerals. — Sapa-dpa