By Staff Reporter
HARARE – An urgent chamber application seeking to interdict activities at Botha Gold Mine has been withdrawn at the High Court after the court indicated that the matter had been overtaken by events.
The application, filed under Case No. HCH976/26 by Navid Incorporated (Private) Limited, an agent of Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, represented by Ronald Chisvo, had sought to halt operations in areas identified as Morrocco, Headgear, the GMB Area, and Gwiringwindi within the broader dispute relating to Mining Lease 21.
When the matter appeared before Justice Muremba, the court advised that subsequent court orders and developments in related litigation had already addressed the issues raised in the urgent application.
Following the court’s guidance, counsel for the applicant withdrew the matter, effectively ending the attempt to obtain the interdict.
Legal observers say the withdrawal reflects the procedural reality that the application no longer served a practical purpose after later rulings had already clarified the legal position regarding the contested mining operations.
The developments come amid an ongoing dispute involving operations at Botha Gold Mine, which is operated by Side Electrical (Private) Limited.
Industry sources say the withdrawn application forms part of a series of legal actions aimed at halting or interfering with mining activities at the site in recent months.
Some of the legal efforts have been linked to individuals associated with Ronald Chisvo, including Angel Mpofu-Chisvo, who has been involved in the broader dispute over the mining claims.
Meanwhile, allegations have circulated within political and mining circles that Mpofu-Chisvo has at times presented herself as the daughter of senior ZANU-PF official Obert Mpofu, a claim sources familiar with the matter say has been disputed.
Observers caution that invoking political figures in commercial disputes risks politicising matters that are fundamentally legal in nature.
Despite the legal wrangling, operations at Botha Gold Mine are continuing under the framework of existing court orders and relevant provisions of the Mines and Minerals Act.
Authorities have also indicated that law enforcement will maintain order in the area and that any acts of violence or unlawful interference with mining operations will be addressed through normal legal channels.
Botha Gold Mine management says production activities remain ongoing while disputes are handled through the courts.
