BY DARLINGTON MWASHITA
FOUR employees at K&M Mine syndicate in Rosebank, Bubi district, Matabeleland North province last week appeared in court facing allegations of stealing six tonnes of gold ore from their employer.
Nyarai Mkandla (27), Nchobeni Mudenda (26), Brian Ncube (19) and Jefter Garu (22) were not asked to plead to theft charges when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu on Thursday.
They were remanded in custody to January 3.
The court was told that Mkandla, Mudenda, Ncube and Garu left their workplace on December 13 following an annual shutdown of the mine.
Acting in common purpose with other accomplices who are still at large, they then went back to the mine armed with machetes and using a vehicle which has not described.
They allegedly assaulted the mine co-owner, Milton Mathe and three employees several times all over their bodies.
Mkandla, Mudenda, Ncube and Garu allegedly loaded gold ore into empty cement bags and forced Prince Fuzani, an employee to load it into their vehicle. It is the State case that they also took Mathe’s generator.
The court was told that after looting the gold ore they sold it to millers.
The total value of stolen gold ore and the generator is US$19 000 and nothing was recovered.
A report made to the police led to the arrest of the four.
