GOVERNMENT has dismissed claims of illegal mining activities and looting of gold ore at Gaika Mine in Kwekwe.<\/p>\n
Information Ministry permanent secretary Nick Mangwana said there are no stockpiles of ore at the mine hence there was no possibility of looting.<\/p>\n
\u201cGaika Mine is protected by the police and sealed from the public, so those allegations of looting are in all probability likely fake news.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurther how do you loot something at night which you actually need to dig out? Remember there are no stockpiles of gold in the shafts. It\u2019s just a gold mine from which one can only access the gold through normal mining and milling,\u201d said Mangwana.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no people mining because Gaika Mine is cordoned off. There is no\u00a0 mining going on, so the rest of the allegations are based on falsehoods which makes them falsehoods as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foreign owned Gaika Mine was invaded by Zanu PF activists lead by former Mbizo MP Vongai Mupereri who has close links to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.<\/p>\n
However, early this month authorities deployed police and military to drive off the over 200 illegal miners.<\/p>\n
Mangwana\u2019s comments as reports filtered through that Mupereri who is reportedly on an arrest warrant had been given green-light to continue with his illegal activities at Gaika Mine by Intelligence Minister Owen \u2018Mudha\u2019 Ncube.<\/p>\n
A former Kwekwe councillor Aaron Gwalazimba, told newzimbabwe.com early last week that there have been midnight explosions at the mine suggesting activities despite the security presence.<\/p>\n
Mangwana also dismissed claims Ncube had written a letter, giving Mupereri permission to the private mine in violation of a court order.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo illegal activities taking place at Gaika Mine and law enforcement agents are making sure that no criminal activities will take place there.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can go and verify that the presence of police who are ensuring that the rule of law obtains at the mine,\u201d said Mangwana.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am suggesting you work with what is happening on the ground rather than mysterious social media letters.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GOVERNMENT has dismissed claims of illegal mining activities and looting of gold ore at Gaika Mine in Kwekwe. Information Ministry permanent secretary Nick Mangwana said there are no stockpiles of ore at the mine hence there was no possibility of looting. \u201cGaika Mine is protected by the police and sealed from the public, so those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":8101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[38,55,124,182,149],"class_list":{"0":"post-8100","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-policy","9":"tag-zanu-pf","10":"tag-government","11":"tag-military","12":"tag-miners","13":"tag-president"},"yoast_head":"\n