Communities in Matabeleland have raised alarm over what they describe as the rampant dispossession of their local mineral wealth by people from outside the region, with locals allegedly being sidelined.
The situation has sparked fears of potential violent conflict if authorities fail to address the growing wealth allocation imbalances.
A villager from Gududu Village 12 in Bubi, Bongani Ncube, claimed that unknown individuals from Mashonaland invaded his home area this month to mine for gold, chasing away locals.
“Just this month, neighbours rushed to search for gold,” he narrated his ordeal.
“Days later, people who are not from Matabeleland had taken over the mining site, refilling pits dug by community members using a front end loader.
“They were fencing the area and chasing away the locals.”
Ncube said he confronted the miners, forcing them to stop work.
Later, armed police officers reportedly visited his home, instructing him to report to Nyathi police station,
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He remains in fear of possible attacks, though work at the site has since halted pending meetings.
Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) leader Mqondisi Moyo said they have received several reports of ‘outsiders’ chasing away locals from gold rich areas.
He accused politically connected individuals of facilitating the alleged dispossession and called for an independent investigation into a disputed gold-mining operation at Gududu village.
Moyo alleged that villagers had discovered a potentially rich gold deposit on ancestral land when a group allegedly arrived on August 11 with documentation purportedly granting mining rights.
He also alleged that more than 15 armed police officers, accompanied by plainclothes personnel, raided Ncube’s home on August 13, and at least seven residents were assaulted.
A security fence has since been erected around the disputed area, restricting local access.
Moyo argued the dispute reflects a broader pattern where communities bear social and environmental costs while economic benefits allegedly concentrate among powerful individuals.
“The systematic plunder of Matabeleland’s gold and other mineral resources is no longer simply a question of illegal mining,” he said.
He said the MRP is demanding transparency surrounding exclusive prospecting orders, mining claims, and other mineral rights, calling for disclosure of rights holders, grant processes, beneficial ownership, extraction volumes, and taxes generated.
The party also wants information on community consultation before rights are granted.
“Extraction without local ownership, participation, beneficiation and accountability is not development. It is extraction,” Moyo said.
MRP has called for an independent investigation into the Gududu dispute, including verification of mining documentation, legal ownership, allegations of violence, and any political or administrative influence.
“If wrongdoing has occurred, those responsible, whether private actors, political actors, public officials or security personnel, must be held accountable,” Moyo said.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Richard Moyo said he was unaware of the issue.
“I think they must report to the police and the Ministry of Mines,” he said.
“These could be criminal people who, upon hearing about a gold rush, pounce on the area to start pegging and abusing the communities.”
