Brenda Zinyuke, Court Reporter
THREE men from Bulawayo have been arrested after they were allegedly caught prospecting for gold along Umguza River.
Simion Mudenda (32) of Cowdray Park suburb was in the company of Ferdinand (36) and Muzomuhle Wabayi (27) both of Entumbane suburb when they connived to mine illegally.
Mudenda and his accomplices were not asked to plead to prospecting for gold without a licence when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Lizwe Jamela.
They were remanded in custody to today.
Prosecuting, Mr Denmark Chihombe said on December 16 last year at around 9AM, police officers and rangers from the city council were on patrol targeting illegal gold panners along Umguza River near the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road.
“The team proceeded to Umguza River where they spotted the three accused persons prospecting for gold. The first accused person was loading gold ore in an empty 50kg bag of cement using a shovel while the other two accused persons were digging with picks in the river bank,” he said.
The accused persons allegedly failed to present a licence granting them permission to prospect for gold and this led to their arrest.
Police recovered 50kg of gold ore, two picks, two shovels, and an iron bar.-@zinyuke98