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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
POLICE in Kwekwe have arrested a suspected gold panners’ ring leader who is accused of killing a fellow panner last year during a fight of rival groups of panners.

Likhwa Ngwenya (23) who was arrested last Friday is suspected to have killed Washington Dick in November last year.

At the time of his death, Dick was facing an attempted murder charge after he attacked Ngwenya using a machete following a dispute over a gold claim.

On Saturday, Ngwenya appeared before Kwekwe magistrate Ms Vimbai Mutukwa facing murder charges.

He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to February 1.

Ms Mutukwa advised Ngwenya to apply for bail at the High Court.

Prosecutor Ms Patience Zamanda said on November 10, Ngwenya in the company of other unnamed accused persons attacked Dick with machetes several times all over the body until he died near Sable Flats in Kwekwe.

Ms Zamanda said after the committing the crime, Ngwenya and his alleged accomplices fled from the scene.

She said Ngwenya was arrested last Friday, but his accomplices are still on the run.

“The accused’s cellphone was recovered at the scene, his vehicle was seen at the scene and the police also recovered a blood stained work suit in his motor vehicle,” said Ms Zamanda.

It is alleged that Dick met Ngwenya on the fateful night for “peace talks”.

Before the meeting, the court heard that Dick called his wife and told her of his plan to resolve the dispute.

At the time of his death, Dick was facing an attempted murder charge for allegedly attacking Ngwenya with a machete in a previous fight over a gold claim.

— @pchitumba1