Miner dies attempting to save syndicate, prompting outcry over illegal mining

By Atkins Chimunhu

Outcry over the controlling of illegal miners who operate on abandoned mine claims has escalated
after a miner recently lost his life while trying to rescue about forty fellow intruders who had been
buried under a mine shaft at Wonderer mine in Shurugwi recently.

Owners of the claim had ceased operating at the shaft, however since the area is rumoured to be
filthy rich in the precious metal it attracted the attention of the victims who entered and started
operating without authorisation.

Luck ran out for them as the top surface of the shaft collapsed while the exit route was blocked in
the process. It is upon the noticing of the visibly shaking ground and entrance area of the shaft that a
fellow miner attempted to enter in a bid to alert his syndicate of the impending danger.

He slipped and fell in the process, hitting his head on the rocky surfaces and dying on the spot.

Shurugwi council and government rescue teams later joined forces to assist but on the first day, it
was to no avail since the whole entrance area was shaking, proving to be too risky for the rescuers.
All the miners were rescued on the following day, including the corpse of the other deceased miner.

Mining boards in the area were left pleading with the responsible authorities to proactively work on
curtailing the rapid increase in illegal miners who pose a threat to both themselves and other
authorised miners.

According to these authorities it is mostly difficult to control these miners since in frequent cases
their names and number won`t be known, hence there can be unknown deaths especially when
working under such hazardous circumstances.

Sources who usually operate in abandoned shafts, most of the illegal miners knowingly or
unknowingly excavate ore from the mine`s pillars that are usually left out to hold the mine intact
prompting the collapse of the whole shaft.