Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Larry Mavima, said that the Provincial Joint Operations Command (JOC) has been mandated to deal with machete violence perpetrated by the infamous MaShurugwi gangs.

Speaking during an interview with State media, Mavima revealed that JOC has already met and is currently devising “ruthless” means of dealing with the criminals. He said:

The Government is not taking lightly the maShurugwi menace and the provincial JOC has been tasked with dealing with these machete-wielding gold miners ruthlessly so that we bring to an end unnecessary loss of lives and damage to property these people bring wherever they go. So JOC has met and is working on ways and means of dealing with them and it will be ruthless.

The MaShurugwi gangs, whose origins are believed to be the small chrome-mining town of Shurugwi in central Zimbabwe, have been accused of unleashing a reign of terror, not only in the Midlands province but in Mashonaland provinces as well.

More: Chronicle