Police have arrested 79 suspects in Mazowe following a sweeping crackdown on illegal mining syndicates blamed for vandalising railway infrastructure, damaging water systems and fuelling violent crime in the mineral-rich district.
By Advent Shoko
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said the large-scale operation targeted offences including murder, robbery, rape and stock theft, while also focusing on environmental destruction and the growing sabotage of public infrastructure in mining communities.
Of major concern to investigators was the destruction of railway infrastructure, with four suspects arrested for allegedly damaging railway lines and related equipment.
Authorities say the vandalism of railway infrastructure is increasingly becoming a national security and economic concern as Zimbabwe pushes to revive its struggling rail transport network. Criminal syndicates operating in illegal mining zones are suspected of targeting railway material and metal components for resale, leaving critical transport systems exposed to costly damage and safety risks.
“The ZRP has conducted a massive operation against criminal acts such as murder, robbery, rape, stock theft, among others in Mazowe mining areas,” police said.
“The operation also targeted land degradation, soil erosion, destruction of railway infrastructure, road and water systems.”
Excavators, generators and mining equipment littered parts of the raided zones as police descended on illegal operators in Storeys, Jumbo Mine and surrounding areas, long regarded as hotspots for organised criminal activity and chaotic alluvial mining.
Police recovered 30 excavators, 10 generators, three submersible pumps, seven hammer mills, six windlasses and 20 water tanks believed to have been used in illegal mining operations.
Some foreign nationals and Zimbabweans were arrested in Storeys for allegedly carrying out alluvial mining activities which police said severely damaged water sources, river systems and agricultural land relied upon by local communities. In March, Mazowe Dam was below 15% due to siltation caused by illegal mining.
The operation also exposed the scale of underground informal networks supporting illegal mining activities. Police dismantled several illegal shebeens and confiscated kilograms of meat, alcohol, illicit brews and groceries allegedly linked to criminal operations in the mining belt.
Mazowe has in recent years become one of Zimbabwe’s major illegal mining flashpoints, with authorities battling rising violence, environmental destruction and infrastructure vandalism driven by gold rush activities.
Police say operations will continue across mining areas as law enforcement intensifies efforts to restore order, protect critical national infrastructure and dismantle criminal syndicates threatening communities and key economic sectors.
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