Court orders miner off Chinese claims

Published: 19 June 2018

THE High Court has ordered a local mining company, Blue Day Mine, to stop illegal mining activities at the Chinese-owned Bel-ore Mine claims in Inyathi, Matabeleland North province.

The order came after Bel-ore Mine director Steve Young, recently filed an urgent chamber application at the Bulawayo High Court claiming invasion of his company's claims at number 33594 Inyati. In his founding affidavit, Young cited Blue Day Mine and Bulawayo mines commissioner as respondents.

"This is an urgent chamber application for an interdict against the first respondent (Blue Day Mine) represented by Robert Masunda to stop the first respondent from conducting illegal mining operations at Bel-ore Mine claims at number 33594 in the Inyathi area, Bubi district," Young submitted.

"I discovered that the first respondent was conducting illegal mining operations on applicant's claims and I reported the illegal mining operations to second respondent (Commissioner)."

He said pursuant to his report, the mining commissioner through the mining administrative officer and the provincial mining director wrote to Blue Day Mine reaffirming that Bel-ore Mine was the lawful holder of the claims. Some were written to Inyathi police imploring them to evict Blue Day Mine employees from the site.

"The ZRP Inyathi failed to act as per request. The continued illegal mining by first respondent is financially prejudicing the applicant, hence the application for an interdict to stop the illegal operations and further evict all the illegal miners on the applicant's claims."

In his ruling, Justice Maxwell Takuva gave Blue Day Mine employees a 48-hour ultimatum to vacate the site and ordered the sheriff of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Republic Police to execute the eviction order. He also ordered the firm to pay costs of the suit.

- newsday

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