The Sunday News
Tatenda Gapare Sunday News Reporter
AN illegal miner at Isabella Mine in Bubi District recently drowned in a 40-metre deep pit after he allegedly tried to pan with colleagues whose names could not be established. Melinkosi Mlotshwa from Ntobe area in Bubi District drowned in a pit at the mine after he allegedly accessed the mine at midnight with his friends who ran away when they discovered that their colleague had drowned. Mlotshwa’s age could not be established.
Mlotshwa’s body was retrieved the following morning. The police called in the sub-aqua team who retrieved the body from the deep pit.
In an interview, the manager of Isabella Mine, Mr Shingirayi Chimhanda, said Mlotshwa and his colleagues seemed to have accessed the mine at midnight when no one was working.
“The illegal miners accessed the pit around midnight when no mine employees were working in the area. Mine management advised the police and the mines inspectorate after they discovered that a person had drowned during the night. Both parties arrived at the mine immediately and started conducting investigations,” he said.
Mr Chimhanda said Bilboes Holding Pvt Ltd, the owners of Isabella Mine, operating mines in Matabeleland North Province have had problems with illegal miners for several years.
“The mine has been receiving assistance from the Zimbabwe Republic Police who camp on site at regular intervals. They were recently here on the third week of January 2016 to manage these problems of illegal miners. The activities subsided but on 11 February 2016 at around 6am the mine management received a report advising that there had been a drowning incident of an illegal miner at one of the mine production pits.
“The mine was absolved from this non-work related incident and the case was referred to the Civil Protection Unit. The drowning incident demonstrates the dangers of illegal miners illegally accessing mining areas of registered mining companies in the country,” he said.
Recently, an illegal miner died at the closed Old Nic Mine in Bulawayo’s Killarney suburb after he plunged into a 130-metre mine shaft. The deceased, Tommy Mbewe, is alleged to have fallen into the shaft while mining with colleagues.
Efforts to get a comment from Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Siphiwe Makonese were fruitless as her phone was unreachable.
