A BULAWAYO Sheriff, police officer and a gold dealer have been taken to court by a local miner over allegations of looting gold ore valued at $252 000.
BY SILAS NKALA
Apollo Mhlophe, owner of Peace Mine, filed summons at the Bulawayo High Court last week, claiming that the Sheriff, the ZRP’s officer in-charge at Silobela, Ntokozo Ncube and Mike Mlilo, a dealer, stole 210 tonnes of gold ore from his mine last November.
“Plaintiff’s claim is for an order that the first defendant (Mlilo) delivers and/or cedes or restores to the plaintiff 210 tonnes of gold ore, which he unlawfully took from the plaintiff’s mine on November 15, 2018, without plaintiff’s authority,” the summons read.
“An order that if the defendant has already processed the gold sands, hands gold receipts from Fidelity Gold Refineries Private Limited or the equivalent sum of US$252 000, which is the estimated value of gold stolen by the first defendant. An order that the first defendant, his agents are evicted from Peace Mine, Silobela, within seven days of the granting of this order failing which the sheriff or messenger is, hereby, directed to evict the first defendant and all those claiming through them, with the help of the nearest ZRP officers and also order of costs of suit.”
In his declaration, Mhlophe said on November 15 last year, Mlilo transported 210 tonnes of gold ore without the authority or permit to move it.
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“When plaintiff’s aide, Godfrey Nyamunga, called defendant to enquire on what was happening, he sent him money on EcoCash and advised him that he should use it for transport to meet and discuss the issue without involving the officer-in-charge of Silobela,” he said.
Mhlophe, in his declaration, said despite numerous attempts to resolve the issue, “the first defendant has been avoiding me or my agents to show the location of the said gold sands”.
“Contrary to his numerous undertakings to hand over the gold sands, he has failed to do so,” Mhlophe submitted.
Mlilo and the other defendants are yet to respond to the summons.