Former Gweru Mayor Kombayi, 12 Others, on the Docks for Alleged Theft, Damage to Property
n By Dumisani Ndlovu n nn n Gweru - Former Gweru Mayor Hamutendi Kombayi and 12 others appeared before the Gweru Magistrate Courts on charges of malicious damage to property and theft, a case that has stirred intrigue and incredulity across
anostrofy By Dumisani Ndlovu
Gweru - Former Gweru Mayor Hamutendi Kombayi and 12 others appeared before the Gweru Magistrate Courts on charges of malicious damage to property and theft, a case that has stirred intrigue and incredulity across the city.The State, led by Gweru prosecutor Brandon Ndlovu, alleges that the drama unfolded on December 10, 2025, at around 3pm, when the accused descended on Lost Donkey Mine, situated on Kombayi Farm in Ridgemond, arriving in a black twin-cab vehicle. What followed, prosecutors say, was less a routine visit and more a scene borrowed from an action script.According to the complainant, Tonderai Mapuranga, owner of MAPS Mining Syndicate, the accused allegedly destroyed three wooden residential cabins, damaged two solar panels, and reduced two 5,000-litre jojo tanks to leaking monuments of alleged mischief. In a detail that prompted murmurs in court, Kombayi is accused of producing a firearm and firing at the jojo tanks, a move the State says pointed to deliberate destruction rather than an industrial mishap. The alleged damage is valued at US$2,225.The charges do not end with splintered wood and punctured plastic. Prosecutors further allege that the group made off with a catalogue of equipment and personal items, including two Y-18 jackhammers, two rock drills, a black P29 bank gun, a sports bicycle, cellphones, an electric shocker, a set of handcuffs, and assorted tools. The allegedly stolen property is valued at US$1,520, with nothing recovered. thirteen accused, aged between 19 and 48, have denied the charges, fuelling public debate—particularly given Kombayi’s former standing as a senior public official.The matter was remanded to December 30, 2025, after the magistrate granted bail, noting that the State had failed to advance compelling reasons for continued detention. Each accused was admitted to bail in the sum of US$50.Mining land conflicts in Zimbabwe remain widespread, driven by disputes between miners and farmers, communities and corporations, and worsened by weak regulation, political influence, and elite capture—often leaving destruction, displacement, and instability in their wake.
