ELEVEN Old Nic Mine workers who were arrested last month for allegedly prejudicing their company of more than 400 grammes of gold, were all acquitted on Monday due to lack of evidence.
MTHANDAZO NYONI OWN CORRESPONDENT
David Mpofu (37), Edwin Munyuki (32), Given Dube (28), Sibonakaliso Ngwenya (30), Auther Mucharungama (39), Thomas Chokuda (31), Mncedisi Moyo (23), Tawanda Musenenga (42), Douglas Tsikwa (29), Loyd Tututu (24) and Benjamin Moyondizvo (32) were all found not guilty to charges of theft of gold when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Charity Maphosa. The magistrate ruled there was no evidence to prove that the workers stole gold.
“There is no evidence to prove the element of the offence. The first reason is that all the accused workers were on duty on January 18 2014 (the day when they were arrested). It therefore suffices that they were not prospecting for gold illegally,” Maphosa said.
“The greatest blow to the State’s case is that no gold exhibits have been placed before the court. Hence, the State has failed to prove the prima facie case.”
The 11 workers were arrested on January 18 after they were allegedly found prospecting for gold in a disused mine shaft. The complaint, Amos Mugwise, the Old Nic Mine security officer, allegedly received a tip-off that there was a syndicate of mine workers that had entered a restricted mine shaft and were illegally prospecting for gold.
He allegedly called a private security company run by Zanu PF Bulawayo Central district chairperson Joe Chiyangwa, leading to the arrest of the miners after they were found digging.
