An internal police memo seen by ZimLive has revealed that members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) are involved in the bloody gold wars.
Police have established that Kudakwashe Hoko, a gold panner who was shot and killed by private security guards at Goodhope which is part of Brompton Mine in Kadoma was a ZNA corporal based at the military headquarters in Harare.
Police further revealed that Hoko was part of a six-man gang that drove to Goodhope on the fateful day and forcibly entered the fenced gold site just after 9 pm. The internal memo read:
The accused disembarked from their vehicle and forcibly entered the fenced gold rush site. They were challenged to stop by the security guards but they continued advancing being led by Hoko who was armed with an axe.
The Excop security guards, according to police, fired warning shots in the air but the gang kept advancing, leading to one of the guards shooting Hoko in the chest at close range.
A search of the group’s vehicle by police yielded two pairs of ZNA camouflage uniform, a small axe, a Colombian knife and four explosives.
Three of the six men were uncovered to be members of the ZNA.