Three Harare men have been convicted and sentenced to an effective two years in prison by the Chinhoyi Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of illegal mining and theft of mining equipment worth thousands of dollars.
The convicted men are Nelson Mukwazhi, 37, of Tynwald North, Takunda Mazambani, 35, of Hogerty Hill in Borrowdale, and Tatenda Nhumbe, 32, of Msasa Park.
According to court proceedings, in July 2025 the complainant engaged the trio to explore the possibility of entering into a mining joint venture. However, no formal agreement was concluded, and the complainant subsequently proceeded to operate the mine independently.
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Despite the absence of an agreement, the accused brought an excavator onto the mining premises and, on July 24, 2025, falsely claimed they were authorised to conduct mining operations.
The court heard that the trio illegally extracted 28.22 grammes of gold, which they later sold in Chinhoyi for US$2 768.
Two days later, the accused misled mine security by claiming that the owner had granted them time off. They then stole several pieces of mining equipment, including a 10 000-litre water tank, which they transported to Mutsvairo Village in the Dema area of Seke.
The stolen water tank was later recovered during investigations.
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