Harassment and intimidation recorded the highest number of violations at 96, up from 60 recorded in
December 2019. Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Manicaland and Harare provinces
recorded the highest number of violations. Police disturbingly occupied the second highest percentage
of perpetrators, at 23.67%, after the perpetrators whose affiliation is unknown. The machete wielding
gangs made up 22.2% of the perpetrators, an indication of the pervasive nature of the gangs.
Overall Analysis
ZPP notes with concern the continued perpetration of violence by the artisanal mining terror gangs.
Although the police has managed to arrest some of the gangs, including an eight member gang
popularly known in Kwekwe as the “Maketo brothers”, there is need to increase the efforts so as to
ensure these gangs are dealt with, once and for all.
Criminals are capitalising on the fear that citizens have of the machete gangs to carry out robberies
using the same modus operandi. As security personnel scale up efforts to bring these mining gangs
to book by sealing off their havens such as Jumbo mine in Mazowe, the gangs have begun to move
into non mining areas including urban areas. On 16 January, a gang wielding machetes and guns
invaded a house in Emerald Hill in Harare where they robbed the occupants of USD11, 500.
Reports have been received from Jumbo mine where police manning the area have been accused of
carrying out their own mining activities and in some cases allowing some individuals to continue with
mining activities. Such a scenario indicates the absence of proper accountability mechanisms in the
fight against the terror gangs.
The kraal head of Gwenyaya
Village Jairos Gwenyaya of Ward
16, Chivi Central was assaulted
by Saratiel Tasarira at his
homestead after Tasarira’s wife
Felistas Chiwara was removed
from
the
Social
Welfare
beneficiaries list. Tasarira is said
to have assaulted the kraal head
accusing him of unfair and
nepotistic
distribution
of
government aid. The matter was
allegedly reported to police at
Chivi Turn-Off Police Base.
Cases of harassment, intimidation and assault related to
distribution of food and other aid were prominent in the
reports received by ZPP in the month under review. The
drought that the country is currently grappling with has
made it very difficult for citizens to provide food for their
families. This has rendered them dependent on aid from the
government (through the Department of Social Welfare)
and
from Non
-Governmental
Organisations. It is
regrettable that some citizens who yield political power in