By Richard Muponde
A four man machete gang has been arrested in Norton after it ambushed a miner on Monday and robbed him of 40 kilogrammes of gold ore and $300 before axing his colleague who tried to effect a citizen’s arrest.
National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Blessmore Chishaka confirmed the arrests.
“The quartet of Privilege Damson (29), Casper Karuru (42) Stephen Mazambani (24) and Godwell Mukune (31) ambushed the complainant, who was going to the stamp mill to process his gold ore. They were armed with two machetes and an axe. After instilling fear in him they robbed him of 40kg and $300 and disappeared,” Chishaka said.
He said the robbers processed the gold, sold it and shared the proceeds.
“However, the complainant teamed up with his friends and made a follow-up of the robbers. They managed to find them and tried to effect a citizen’s arrest but one of them was axed on the head. He was taken to hospital where he was treated and discharged,” Chishaka said.
He said police were called to the scene and managed to arrest the gang members.
“We recovered two machetes, an axe and two logs which they used in committing the offence. They are currently being held in custody at Norton Police Station and will appear in court soon,” Chishaka said.
The arrest came after the courts have tightened the noose on machete gangs to bring sanity to the mining sector.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba on Monday announced the setting up of special courts to deal with the marauding machete gangs wreaking havoc in most parts of the country, warning that the courts would not have mercy on those who terrorise communities.
According to statistics, machete gangs have in the past few months killed over 100 people in gold wars countrywide. NewsDay
