4 illegal diamond panners drown in Chiadzwa while fleeing security

Four illegal gold panners drowned in a dam at the Chiadzwa diamond fields on Monday as they attempted to escape from security personnel who were chasing them. The panners fell into a dam of slime, got trapped and drowned. The bodies of the panners were later recovered by the ZRP’s sub aqua unit.

Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (Pvt) Ltd (ZCDC) chief executive officer Dr Moris Mpofu said

I was briefed by my security personnel about the incident. I don’t have much, but what I can tell you is that the illegal panners trespassed into the fields and they were spotted by our guards who subsequently chased them away. I am told that during the chase four of them fell into the dam and they drowned. You can contact the police to get more details.

…It is dangerous for villagers to trespass into a protected area and we urge them to stay out. We have tightened our security because we want to safeguard that national resource and ensure it benefits the country and not individuals.

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