AN illegal gold panner was killed after he and eight others were attacked by an elephant in the Zambezi Valley Escarpment, last Tuesday.
The now deceased was identified as Macron Japajapa (40) of Nehanda village, Chief Kazangarare, Hurungwe in Karoi.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Mashonaland West spokesperson, Inspector Margaret Chitove confirmed the incident, which occurred on September 12, 2023 around 10am.
She said Japajapa and his young brother, Knowledge (23), and eight other villagers left home and proceeded to the wild to illegally prospect for gold.
It is said on the same date around 11pm the group decided to rest at Mukwichi River.
“The following morning the team continued with its journey, and along the way spotted a trumpeting elephant charging towards them emerging from a nearby bush.
“The men bolted in different directions and later regrouped and this is when they noticed Macron Japajapa was missing and returned to scene and found him dead lying face-down,” said Chitove.
Deceased’s body had visible injuries that included fractured legs and piercing from back to chest by jumbo’s tusks.
The matter was reported to police who attended the scene before conveying the body to Kazangarare.
Police urged members of the public to desist from deliberately straying into wildlife infested areas and also shun illegal activities such as gold panning.
Source New Zimbabwe
