ARTISANAL miners in Mazowe were on Tuesday beaten to pulp by a gang of AK47-carrying-thugs which was operating at the instruction of former First Lady Grace Mugabe, NewZimbabwe.com has learnt.
Most of those caught up in the violent act suffered bruises, broken bones and head injuries after being assaulted using fists, hammers, baton-sticks and AK47 butts.
Four of them had to be treated at Concession District Hospital while a police report, CR32/07/26, was recorded at Mazowe Police Station.
The Mugabes own Smithfield Farm, 39.5 km north of Harare, along Bindura Road and located adjacent to Mondo 3 and Mondo 4 Mines, which her family claims are on its land.
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The farm is 1,300 hectares, almost three times as big as Mbare high-density suburb and houses what once was a high-end school, Amai Mugabe Group of Schools.
These mines have, since late President Robert Mugabe's removal from office, been subjected to violent attacks from her son Bellarmine, who is currently on US$200 bail for a similar violent rampage that occurred last year in July.
According to one of the victims, who requested anonymity in fear of victimisation, Grace descended on Mondo 3 Mine in two white Ford Rangers, a Defender and a Range Rover, in the company of 20 men, five of whom carried AK47 assault rifles.
The men proceeded to order everyone to sit down, including a named mine manager, who was told to bow and sit in the presence of Zimbabwe's Queen.
GeographicReference"They started beating up miners at a neighbouring mine where we heard the guard had been assaulted and everyone else ordered to leave the premises, before coming to Mondo 3 Mine where we work," said the victim.
"I ran to call my boss thinking he would be able to deal with the matter, only to realise that he had no such power after he was told to bow and sit down in the presence of the Queen, referring to Grace.
"I was then picked together with a workmate (named) and also told to sit at Grace's feet. As we were about to do so, my workmate was then clapped and hit with a hammer on his forehead.
"When I tried to confront them after realising that he was bleeding profusely, Grace personally ordered that I also be beaten up as I was too talkative. Two of her guards then pinned me down and started hitting me with a hammer on my rib cage."
NewZimbabwe.com is in possession of graphic images of the victims.
Zimbabweanculture magazineAdded another source: "Bellarmine once came and did the same thing, at the same mine and we thought that after his arrest there would no longer be such violent scenes.
"We are now living in fear, Grace is not an ordinary person; if she had ordered that they kill us, I do not think anything was going to be done to her."
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Four of the five armed men have since been arrested by officers stationed at Mazowe and were expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
This is not the first time Grace has been implicated in violent acts. As First Lady, South African Police Service (SAPS) issued her with a warrant of arrest after she heavily assaulted model Gabriella Engels, whom she said was one of her son's girlfriends, at a hotel room in Johannesburg.
Her sons have had an equal share of controversy and unexplained escapes.
Bellarmine Chatunga was in April this year deported from South Africa after being arrested on charges of shooting one of his employees at their Hyde Park flat. The charge was later transferred to a male relative while he was chucked out for staying there illegally and brandishing a toy gun.
Efforts to contact Grace and her daughter Bona Mugabe for comment were fruitless. Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi's numbers were not going through.
