Attempted Gold Mine Takeover Leaves Trail of Injuries and Plunder in Filabusi
An elderly gold miner in Zimbabwe, Andre Coetzee, was brutally attacked following a failed mining claim takeover by business associates. The dispute has led to violent evictions and the looting of equipment and ore from his family's mines.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the volatile nature of property rights and the rule of law in the mining sector within certain regions of Africa.
FILABUSI, ZIMBABWE — Andre Coetzee, a 73-year-old gold miner, is living in fear following a brutal attack on December 13, 2024, that nearly took his life.
Coetzee, the owner of Cowslip Mine and five neighboring mining claims in Filabusi, Matabeleland South, suffered deep machete cuts to his arms and legs, along with severe head trauma causing brain bleeding. The attack left him in intensive care for two months.
“Owen Nare confronted me in the afternoon on the very day I was attacked. He threatened me, saying he wanted to show me how he deals with old white people,” the elderly miner recalled.
“That evening, I was set upon by a group wielding machetes, pangas, rocks, and sticks. I was struck with a massive rock by attackers trying to forcibly evict me from the mine.”
Coetzee alleges his attackers were acting on behalf of Owen Nare and Herbert Mbiabolane.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in