POLICE in the Midlands province have banned the carrying of machetes and other dangerous weapons as a way of maintaining peace and order ahead of general elections scheduled for July 30.
BY STEPHEN CHADENGA
In recent months, the province has recorded an increase in the number of people killed and seriously injured, particularly in machete wars caused by artisanal miners fighting for control of gold claims.
Acting provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende said the ban was in terms of the Public Order and Security Act (Posa).
“The regulatory district officers in all parts of the province will superintend over the ban of all dangerous weapons including catapults, axes, machetes, daggers, swords and knives,” she said.
“The ban is with immediate effect so as to maintain order and peace.”
Early this year, judicial officers in the province called for stiffer and deterrent sentences, particularly against machete users, following a spate of attacks in areas such as Kwekwe and Shurugwi.
The machete-weilding attackers, particularly in Kwekwe, have lately been targeting residents, robbing them of their cash and other valuables.
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Last week, a five-member machete-wielding gang appeared at the Kwekwe Magistrates’ Court facing charges of murder and severely assaulting several victims after they allegedly failed to rob them of cash.
