By Staff Reporter
Bindura— Police have once again descended on Botha Gold Mine, in what stakeholders are describing as an alarming escalation of coercive tactics, allegedly assisting representatives of Freda Rebecca Gold Mine to erect fencing on private mining property amid an unresolved civil dispute.
According to multiple sources on the ground, officers are currently at the mine and are proceeding to facilitate the fencing operation despite the absence of any publicly known court order authorising the restriction of access or alteration of property boundaries. The development has triggered widespread concern that law enforcement is being deployed to advance private commercial interests rather than to uphold neutral policing and due process.
The incident marks the latest flashpoint in a rapidly escalating dispute, following Freda Rebecca’s failure to obtain relief through the courts, where its urgent application against Botha Gold Mine was struck off the roll. Observers note that today’s police-assisted fencing appears to mirror earlier attempts to impose control through force after judicial avenues failed to deliver the desired outcome.
Mine officials and contractors say the renewed police presence has disrupted lawful operations and heightened fear among workers, many of whom rely on uninterrupted access to the site for their livelihoods. “This is no longer just a legal dispute, it is becoming an occupation by intimidation,” said one stakeholder, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns.
Legal analysts warn that allowing fencing on private property without clear judicial authority sets a dangerous precedent. “Police do not have the mandate to redraw property boundaries or enforce disputed civil claims,” one practitioner said. “When that line is crossed, the rule of law itself is placed at risk.”
Critics argue that the repeated use of police presence to facilitate fencing and arrests amounts to barbaric, extra-legal tactics that undermine confidence in state institutions and threaten the stability of Zimbabwe’s mining sector, particularly for indigenous and emerging operators.
Calls for urgent high-level intervention are now intensifying, with stakeholders demanding immediate action from senior police command and independent oversight bodies to halt what they describe as an unlawful forced encroachment and to restore disputes to lawful judicial channels.
As events continue to unfold, today’s developments signal a deepening crisis, one that raises profound questions about policing neutrality, property rights, and the protection of lawful enterprise.
This is a developing story.
