When corporate disputes abandon courtrooms and re-emerge behind fences and police tape, uncomfortable questions arise about power, process and respect for the rule of law. Following its failure to secure relief through the courts, Freda Rebecca Gold Mine now stands accused of reverting to coercive, extra-legal tactics at Botha Gold Mine, allegedly engaging police to fence off mining areas in what critics describe as a calculated attempt to impose control by force rather than through lawful, transparent means.

This latest development follows Freda Rebecca’s failure to sustain its case through the courts, where its urgent application seeking interdictory and declaratory relief against Side Electrical (Pvt) Ltd trading as Botha Gold Mine was struck off the roll. Having failed to secure judicial sanction for its claims, Freda Rebecca is now accused of resorting to extra-judicial measures that undermine the rule of law and due process.

According to multiple sources on the ground, representatives of Freda Rebecca arrived at the mining site in the company of police officers and proceeded to fence off sections of the mining area, effectively restricting access and disrupting lawful operations. When the Head of Security and other Botha Gold Mine officials questioned why the fencing was taking place and under what authority the activity was being carried out, they were reportedly arrested. In total, seven individuals were taken into custody following these inquiries, a development that has intensified concern over the use of police power in a dispute that remains civil and commercial in nature.

Observers say the move bears all the hallmarks of an attempted takeover by intimidation, using state security apparatus to achieve what could not be achieved through evidence, legal argument or court orders.

Industry analysts have expressed grave concern at what they describe as a dangerous precedent. “When a well-resourced corporate entity loses in court and then pivots to force-based tactics, it signals contempt for the justice system,” said one mining governance expert. “It sends the message that power, not legality, determines outcomes.”

Contractors and workers at Botha Gold Mine have also been left in a state of uncertainty and distress. Many depend on uninterrupted access to the mine for their livelihoods, and the sudden fencing, in the absence of a valid court order, has been described as both economically destructive and socially irresponsible.

Critics argue that the involvement of police in what is fundamentally a civil and commercial dispute raises troubling questions about abuse of authority and the politicisation of law enforcement. “Police are not instruments for advancing private commercial interests,” one legal practitioner noted. “Their deployment in this manner risks eroding public confidence in state institutions.”

Botha Gold Mine management maintains that it remains a lawfully operating entity, duly registered and compliant with regulatory requirements and that any attempt to displace it must occur through transparent legal channels not through what it describes as “barbaric, strong-arm tactics reminiscent of corporate vigilantism.”

As pressure mounts, calls are growing for oversight authorities to scrutinise the conduct surrounding the fencing operation, including the basis upon which police involvement was secured and arrests effected. Stakeholders warn that if such actions are left unchecked, Zimbabwe’s investment climate, particularly for indigenous and emerging mining enterprises, could suffer lasting damage.