Staff Writer
Prophet Tapiwa Freddy is embroiled in a nasty wrangle with a Zimbabwe National Army high-ranking officer over a gold mine in Mazowe with the preacher filing an urgent High Court application to stop Colonel Richard Mapanda from invading his mine and threatening to kill his workers.
Col Mapanda allegedly invaded the mine with a loaded gun threatening to shoot anyone who comes back on the pit head last week.
Through his lawyer Jivas Mudimu of Mudimu Law Chambers Prophet T Freddy, founder of Goodness and Mercy Ministries, argued that he was the director of Lazania Gold Mine that had license and certificates to carry mining activities.
“Applicant is a mining company which is in the business of mining prospect for gold on an area of approximately 100 hectares situated within RA 1566 in the Mazowe District of Mashonaland Central under special grant is attached hereto as “Annexure “A”,” Prophet T Freddy wrote in his founding affidavit.
He said his company had gone through all required processes for registration and for an Environmental Impact Assessment Certificate and no objection was raised concerning the land in question which is under his name.
“Despite all this effort which Applicant did which was at the knowledge of the 1st Respondent, he never objected, now that the applicant started its operation the 1st respondent is now disrupting the operations of the mine using force and threats. The Applicant efforts to stop the 1st respondent has proved to be abortive with fears that more confrontational approach will lead to violence” reads the affidavit.
Prophet T Freddy further argued that Mapanda would unleash terror on his workers since he had invaded the mined armed with a gun promising to shot anyone who returned to the mine.
He said it is his belief that there is no basis on which Mapanda’s conduct was premised leaving with no choice but to approach the court for an urgent relief.
Prophet T Freddy said he treated the matter as urgent since Mapanda chased away all workers threatening to kill them if they disobey his orders hence the operation of the mine has stopped.
Provincial mining director for Mashonaland Central province has been cited as the second respondent.
