By Crime and Courts Reporter- Three illegal gold miners died on Thursday after plunging into a disused mine shaft at Yellowsnake 37 Mine in Kwekwe, police have confirmed.

The victims were reportedly using a cage lift to access the mine when the hook fastening the rope to the cage snapped as they were exiting the shaft.

The cage plummeted down the shaft, overturned, and crushed the miners. 

Their bodies were later retrieved and taken to Kwekwe General Hospital for post-mortem.

Yellowsnake 37 Mine is notorious for being a hotspot of illegal gold mining activities involving powerful political elites and violent machete gangs, commonly known as ‘Mashurugwi.’ 

These criminal syndicates, many of which are linked to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inner circle, operate with impunity, often using brute force to control goldfields in the Midlands province.

The mine’s proximity to President Mnangagwa’s Precable Farm in Kwekwe further raises questions about the deep entanglement of high-ranking political figures in illicit mining operations.

Precable Farm has long been suspected of being a hub for gold processing and distribution, with allegations that mining proceeds contribute to a shadowy patronage system benefiting state and ruling party officials.

Owen ‘Mudha’ Ncube, a former State Security Minister and a close ally of Mnangagwa, has been accused of masterminding and protecting illegal gold mining syndicates in the Midlands province.

Ncube, who hails from Kwekwe, has been repeatedly implicated in using security forces and machete gangs to control mining concessions and intimidate rivals.

Reports indicate that these gangs have been involved in violent clashes, murders, and the forced displacement of local miners.

Illegal gold mining has been on the rise in Zimbabwe, driven by a collapsing economy and lax law enforcement. 

While small-scale and artisanal miners struggle under harsh conditions, politically connected syndicates dominate the lucrative gold trade, often smuggling the precious metal out of the country for personal enrichment. 

The government’s selective application of the law has allowed these illicit networks to flourish, further entrenching corruption and lawlessness in the mining sector.