A gold panner from Kwekwe died after he was allegedly attacked by six robbers who made off with gold ore which he had extracted illegally from a mine in the town.

Jackson Matambo was killed at Jojo Mine compound on Monday. One person has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Acting Midlands Provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende confirmed the incident.

“I can confirm the death of a male adult who was stabbed to death by suspected armed robbers at Jojo Mine Compound in Kwekwe on March 6,” said Asst Insp Mukwende.

She said on the fateful day, Matambo and his colleagues extracted gold ore from Jojo Mine and loaded it into a pickup truck at around 1AM.

Asst Insp Mukwende said soon after loading the gold ore, another vehicle with six men armed with swords and machetes arrived at the mine.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the man had extracted gold ore illegally from the mine and loaded it into a vehicle together with his friends when the armed robbers pounced on them,” she said.

“The suspected armed robbers attacked Matambo and his colleagues with the weapons. Matambo was stabbed several times and fell to the ground while his colleagues managed to escape and sought assistance from the mining compound”.

Asst Insp Mukwende said when Matambo’s colleagues returned, they found him lying on the ground in a pool of blood and rushed him to Kwekwe District Hospital.

She said Matambo was pronounced dead on arrival at the health institution.

“Police attended the scene leading to the arrest of one suspect Freedom Ncube of Mbizo 5 Kwekwe who is assisting police with investigations. We have launched a manhunt for the other five suspects,” said Asst Insp  Mukwende.

She appealed to members of the public to respect human life and desist from using violence as a way of solving disputes. – State Media