By A Correspondent- Eight alleged gold panners went on the rampage at a bar in Magwegwe, stoned the bar and seriously assaulted two bouncers after they were kicked out of the premises for rowdy behaviour last Saturday.

According to sources the gold panners went to the bar on Friday night and drank all night. It is alleged that after midnight they started overturning tables in the bar and threaten to beat up bouncers that sought to bring them to order. 

The bouncers chased them away from the bar because of misbehaviour but the panners started to stone the bar in the early hours of Saturday.

“We chased them away from the bar because of their bad behaviour and they started to throw stones and bottles while they were outside.”

According to a source it is alleged that the gang of eight gold panners, which included an alleged member of Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services from Nkayi Prison, hit one of the security bouncers, Alfonso Antony Raphael, with a bottle on the head. The bouncer was rushed to the hospital.

The gold panners also stabbed one of the bouncers, Edmore Mushai with a bottle on the right ear.

Witnesses said the situation was so bad that reinforcements were called from anti-riot police who rescued the bouncers and saved the bar from further attacks. 

“We give thanks to members of the riot police who came all the way from Central Police Station to liberate defenceless bouncers here,” said one of the witnesses, James Phiri.

A report of public violence was made to the police at Magwegwe Police under case number 12 /90 /91. Efforts to get a comment from the police were fruitless at the time of going to print.

-StateMedia