Zimbabwe: Attempted Gold Mine Takeover Leaves Trail of Injuries and Plunder in Filabusi

What the report says

A reported dispute over gold mining claims in Filabusi, in Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland South province, has escalated into violence, alleged theft and a contested eviction process, according to 263Chat content distributed by AllAfrica. The central figure is Andre Coetzee, a 73-year-old miner and owner of Cowslip Mine and nearby claims, who says he was badly injured in an attack on December 13, 2024 and spent two months in intensive care.

Coetzee and his son, Andre Junior, say the conflict began after a 2023 sale agreement involving Herbert Mbiabolane and a deposit on one of the claims. When payments allegedly stopped, Coetzee sought legal action to remove Mbiabolane, who then obtained an eviction order. The family says the enforcement of that order went beyond the disputed claim and affected neighboring properties, including one run by the son. They allege that after the elder Coetzee fled, equipment, pumps, electrical boxes and gold ore were removed from the site.

The report says Coetzee blames Owen Nare and Herbert Mbiabolane for the assault and subsequent plunder, while both men declined to comment. It also notes claims of political connections and police inaction, though those assertions are presented as allegations by the family and were not independently resolved in the article. The broader significance is a reminder of how mineral ownership disputes in Zimbabwe can spill into violence, legal confusion and local concerns about law enforcement oversight.