Guruve North legislator Tendai Pinduka was reportedly forced to leave a funeral wake this week after being confronted by a group of illegal miners who accused him of abandoning community grievances linked to US owned Eureka Gold Mine.
Sources said the confrontation escalated when miners alleged that the MP’s syndicate enjoys preferential access to the mine while ordinary artisanal miners face eviction, arrests and violent clashes with security personnel.
“The mob accused him of siding with Eureka and ignoring long-standing disputes between the mine and the community. He had to be escorted out,” a source present at the wake said.
The miners also accused Pinduka of failing to attend funerals of individuals who allegedly died during confrontations with mine security in recent years.
Contacted for comment, Pinduka denied fleeing the scene, attributing the incident to drug and substance abuse among local youths.
“I was not chased away. Some of the youths were intoxicated and were blaming me for unemployment and for not securing them opportunities at Eureka,” he said. “At a funeral wake you avoid confrontation.”
Tensions between Eureka and surrounding communities go back a long way.
The mine, located in Guruve, was previously mothballed before being revived under new ownership. Since reopening, it has faced periodic allegations from local artisanal miners who accuse management of:
- Restricting access to historical workings
- Heavy security deployments
- Harsh crackdowns on illegal mining activities
- Unequal access to employment opportunities
Community leaders have, at various points, demanded clearer benefit-sharing frameworks and improved local hiring.
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Eureka management has previously maintained that security measures are necessary to curb illegal mining and protect infrastructure.
Eureka is now owned by Delta Gold Limited, a subsidiary of the US-based asset management firm DAGLIO.
DAGLIO has positioned Zimbabwe as a key gold investment destination, acquiring and reviving dormant assets in recent years. The group has signalled ambitions to scale production across its portfolio as part of a broader push to increase Zimbabwe’s gold output.
While official 2025 production figures are yet to be publicly consolidated, Delta Gold previously indicated that Eureka was targeting steady output growth following capital injection into plant refurbishment and underground development.
Zimbabwe’s government has set aggressive national gold output targets, banking on private capital to drive expansion amid foreign currency shortages.
The Political Fault Line
While conflict between miners and communities has been framed as a Chinese problem, the Guruve confrontation underscores a recurring fault line in Zimbabwe’s mining sector:
- Communities seeking employment and artisanal access
- Politicians navigating local pressure
- Large-scale investors prioritising security and production stability
As pressure mounts for greater community participation in resource extraction, investors must find the fragile balance between investment protection and grassroots expectations.
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