GOKWE — Two gold panners, found with varying sizes of alluvial gold, were last week slapped with a five-year jail term each for possession of gold without mining or prospecting licences.
REPORT BY SILAS NKALA
Benson Muchemanyama (21) of Gokwe North and Welldone Darlington Ncube (23) of Gokwe South pleaded guilty to illegal gold possession charges when they separately appeared before Gokwe magistrate Sheppard Mjanja.
The magistrate convicted and sentenced them to five years in jail each.
The court heard that on May 14 at 1:30pm police detectives from the minerals section were deployed to Zenda mining area after getting a tip there were people in possession of gold without permits or licences.
They intercepted Muchemanyama whom they searched and found him in possession of half a gramme of alluvial gold worth $24,81.
In the same area they also intercepted Ncube, whom they found in possession of 1,90 grammes of gold worth $86,58 and also arrested him.
