Staff Reporter
Illegal gold miners have invaded the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) offices at Number 1 Phillips Crescent in Newtown, Kwekwe, digging trenches around the property in search of gold.
The affected premises, owned by Laphonic Enterprises, now bear deep scars from the activities of artisanal miners. The damage is part of a growing trend of illegal gold panning in urban areas, with large sections of Newtown suburb also affected.
Visible trenches surround the MDC-T property, and during the day, groups of gold panners can be seen openly digging and loading sacks of gold-rich soil for off-site processing. Their operations continue in plain view of the authorities, occasionally interrupted by police raids.
“We have been working in the area for the past months and sometimes we get into running battles with the police, but we cannot abandon our search as we are trying to eke a living,” said one of the panners, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Asked whether they were aware of the environmental and property damage they were causing, the miners said survival takes precedence over consequences.
“We have no alternative. We are just trying to get a living,” one miner added.
The incident is the latest in a series of alarming developments linked to illegal mining activities in Kwekwe.
Two years ago, a classroom block at Globe and Phoenix Primary School collapsed into an underground tunnel dug by illegal miners, injuring several pupils. The children are now attending lessons in tents at nearby Sally Mugabe Primary School.
Last year, tragedy struck again when six illegal miners were killed in the Globe and Phoenix area after a mine dump collapsed, engulfing them while they worked.
Despite repeated warnings and isolated law enforcement efforts, illegal gold panning remains widespread in the city, with artisanal miners operating under cover of darkness or in full public view. The lucrative lure of gold, coupled with limited economic opportunities, continues to draw hundreds into the dangerous and destructive practice.
City authorities have been under pressure from residents and civil society groups to take decisive action to halt the degradation of residential areas.
As of now, the MDC-T offices remain surrounded by trenches, a stark reminder of how the gold rush is no longer confined to remote areas but has begun to consume Kwekwe’s urban infrastructure.
