POPULAR preacher Tapiwa Freddy, popularly known as T Freddy, has filed an urgent application at the High Court seeking an order compelling Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Colonel Richard Mapanda from invading his mine in Mazowe.
This came after the army chief visited the mine last Friday and threatened to kill workers if they refused to vacate the property which he (Mapanda) claimed to be his.
Through his lawyer Jivas Mudimu of Mudimu law chambers, Prophet T Freddy said he was the director of Lazania Gold Mine which had the licence and certificates to carry out mining activities at the Mazowe claim.
“Applicant is a mining company which is in the business of mining prospect for gold on an area of approximately 100 hectares situated within RA 1566 in the Mining District of Mashonaland central under special grant is attached hereto as Annexure ‘A’,” Freddy said in his founding affidavit.
The Harare preacher said his company had gone through all required processes for registration and for Environmental Impact Assessment Certificate and no objection was raised concerning ownership of the land in question which is under his name.
“Despite all this effort which Applicant did which was at the knowledge of the 1st Respondent, he never objected, now that the applicant started its operation the 1st respondent is now disrupting the operations of the mine using force and threats.”
Further reads the affidavit, “The Applicant’s efforts to stop the 1st respondent has proved to be abortive with fears that more confrontational approach will lead to violence.
“The likelihood that the 1st respondent would unleash terror on the applicant’s members is not an imagined one since he came with a gun and promised to shoot anyone who comes back to the mine.”
Freddy said it was his belief that there is no basis upon which the respondent’s conduct is premised and that left him with no choice than to approach the court for a reprieve.
Prophet T Freddy said he treated the matter as urgent since the respondent chased away all workers threatening to kill them if they disobeyed his orders hence the operation of the mine has stopped.
Provincial Mining director Mashonaland East Province has been cited as the second respondent.
Mapanda was yet to file his answering affidavit
