If you drive past any mining area in Matabeleland or the Midlands at dusk, you will see them: groups of men with pitiful shelters made of plastic and grass, cooking sadza over open fires, far from towns and tarred roads.
They are called amakorokoza – illegal gold miners. And the question most Zimbabweans ask is: why do they choose to live in the bush?
The answer is simple but terrible: most of them are running.
A senior police officer in Bulawayo, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told this reporter: "The bush is their hideout. The moment they commit a crime in town, they run to the claims."
According to police records and interviewed community leaders, a significant number of makorokoza are already on the "wanted" list for crimes committed in towns and rural growth points.
These include murder, rape, robbery, and stock theft.
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"They know if they come to town, they will be arrested. So, they stay where police rarely patrol in the bush, near rivers and abandoned mines," the officer said.
While illegal mining is a national problem, Matabeleland has become a particular hotspot.
The region is rich in gold deposits, with historic mining areas stretching from Gwanda and Insiza through to Bubi and Nkayi.
In recent years, the collapse of formal employment and the allure of quick cash have drawn thousands of young men and women into the bush.
But the environmental and social cost has been staggering.
Rivers such as Insiza and Umzingwane and their tributaries have been heavily silted due to alluvial mining, while the widespread use of mercury and cyanide in processing has contaminated water sources used by both livestock and communities.
Deforestation is rampant as trees are felled for shelter and firewood, and abandoned shafts have become death traps for unsuspecting villagers and cattle.
Community leaders in Matabeleland South have repeatedly complained that the influx of outsiders, many of them fugitives from other provinces, has fuelled tensions over land, water, and grazing rights.
Chiefs have called for tighter regulation, but enforcement remains weak.
"The government talks about formalisation, but on the ground, the manner of mining is uncontrolled.
“We don't know who is digging, and when accidents happen, no one is held accountable," said a village head in the Insiza District who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.
The life of a makorokoza follows a predictable pattern. First, they mine.
Using crude tools, they dig shafts that are often 30 metres deep with no support; safety is not a concern, but gold is.
Second, they go to the miller. In every mining area, there are illegal milling centres where ore is crushed and processed, usually without Environmental Management Agency or Ministry of Mines papers.
Third, they sell the gold to illicit buyers who pay cash, no questions asked.
Fourth, they take that cash to the nearest bush shop or shebeen.
Because they cannot go to town, a whole informal economy has grown in the bush.
There are bottle stores, prostitution rings, and gambling dens all within walking distance of the claims.
"They spend everything in the bush," says Cde J. Ncube, a community leader in Inyathi.
"By the time they think of going home, the money is gone. And they are still wanted in town. So they stay."
This is why areas around mining communities record high levels of crime; because most makorokoza are already fugitives, they have nothing to lose.
Police in Bubi and Shurugwi have confirmed that violent clashes between rival groups, rape cases, and armed robberies are mostly committed by people who have been living in the bush for months.
"The bush protects them. No IDs, no addresses, no witnesses," said the police source.
Analysts said urgent interventions needed include joint police operations in the bush; community tip-off programmes so locals can report wanted criminals hiding on claims; and alternative livelihoods so that young men do not see crime and mining as the only option.