Two men from Mutorashanga have been sentenced to 12 years in prison each after being convicted of a daring gold heist at Eversing Mine in December last year.
The Chinhoyi Magistrates’ Court found Canaan Gama (25) and Wisdom Paringira (41) guilty of robbery after they, together with other accomplices still at large, staged an armed attack on the mine.
According to the NPA, the gang arrived at the mine on 21 December 2024 in a white Toyota Probox, armed with a rifle and a pistol.
They overpowered a security guard, tied his hands, and forced him into the smelting room where other guards and a CCTV operator were held hostage.
The robbers went on to steal four gold smelting pots, 40 kilogrammes of gold sludge, and an angle grinder.
A security guard later managed to escape and alert the mine owner and police, who quickly responded.
In the ensuing chase, Gama was arrested after officers fired a warning shot, while his accomplices fled.
Detectives later tracked down Paringira in Penhalonga, Mutare. He subsequently led police to Norton, where the stolen gold had been processed into 72 grams of toasted gold.
The total value of the stolen property was pegged at US$590, of which US$400 worth was recovered.
