Tendai Muererwa
Mutare – Following the recovery of 38 bales of suspected smuggled second-hand clothes in Mutare and the arrest of a suspected illegal gold miner in Penhalonga this week, the police has intensified efforts to stop the vice.
Manicaland province acting police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, confirmed the incidents, which occurred during separate police operations conducted on May 5 and May 6, 2026.
In the first incident, ZRP Mutare Rural District recovered 38 sealed bales of second-hand clothes suspected to have been smuggled from Mozambique. Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said the recovery followed a tip-off received on May 5 at around 9PM regarding a two-tonne truck carrying second-hand clothing along a dust road near the Mutare–Bema Valley Road, close to Inn on the Vumba turn-off, which had reportedly broken down.
“Police swiftly reacted to the information and proceeded to the scene where they discovered the truck and five occupants. Upon noticing police presence, the suspects fled from the scene, leaving the bales behind,” he said. The recovered bales were initially taken to ZRP Mutare Rural Police Station before being transferred to ZIMRA Mutare Manica Depot for further handling.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, police in Penhalonga arrested a 47-year-old man for allegedly carrying out illegal gold mining activities along the banks of the Mutare River in Old Mutare, Penhalonga.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said police received information on May 6 at around 9PM that an excavator was being used for illegal mining activities along the river bank.“Police reacted swiftly and proceeded to the scene where they recovered a yellow excavator actively mining on the river bank,” he said.
The suspect, identified as Cephas Juchure (47) of Zviyambe Village under Chief Ruzane in Hwedza, was arrested at the scene and the excavator was impounded. Assistant Inspector Chinyoka commended members of the public for providing information that led to both operations and urged communities to continue working with police in fighting crime.
He warned that illegal mining activities along river banks pose serious environmental dangers, including land degradation, river siltation and water pollution. “Mining on river banks destroys aquatic life, weakens river ecosystems and affects water quality for downstream communities who depend on the rivers for domestic use, farming and livestock,” he said.
He added that the use of heavy machinery near rivers increases the risk of flooding and erosion, while unregulated mining activities also threaten infrastructure such as bridges and roads. Police have since reiterated their commitment to intensifying operations against smuggling and illegal mining activities across Manicaland Province.
