On Wednesday, Zimbabwe information permanent secretary Nick Mangwana says some 30 gold miners are trapped in a Bindura mine shaft amid fears about their safety.
Posting on his official Twitter platform, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Nick Mangwana said, “Mash Central, A tragedy has occurred at Ran Mine in Bindura town late this afternoon. A deep disused mine trench has caved in trapping several illegal gold miners. Exact number not yet established. So far 6 miners have been rescued. Details to follow but numbers could be circa 30.”
Mash Central
A tragedy has occurred at Ran Mine in Bindura town late this afternoon. A deep disused mine trench has caved in trapping several illegal gold miners. Exact number not yet established. So far 6 miners have been rescued. Details to follow but numbers could be circa 30— Nick Mangwana (@nickmangwana) November 25, 2020
By yesterday, part of the roof was still giving in as some dust could be noticed in areas which were still collapsing.
At least four people that were injured in the accident have been hospitalised.
The collapse was triggered by the blasting of a support pillar in an area, which was flooded, resulting in the roof of the shaft giving in.
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Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando, who visited the mine yesterday with his deputy Cde Polite Kambamura and the Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs and Devolution Senator Monica Mavhunga, said the first challenge was to drain the area so that they could see how best to get to the trapped miners.
He said it was difficult to give specific time frames since they needed to determine the best way of accessing the shaft.
“There was a collapse of the shafts late yesterday following a suspected blast of a support pillar because this is a disused shaft. There are some miners who got into the shaft illegally and we suspect that this has probably been happening for a long period of time. Once inside, they blasted one of the support pillars which is flooded up to knee level and the roof of the shaft gave in,” said Minister Chitando.
“What we want to say first and foremost as Government is to encourage all mining activities to be undertaken in accordance with the law, that is the most important thing. All miners should undertake their activities in accordance with the law in a safe manner, that’s the first thing.”
“The second thing is obviously as Government we spoke about the concept of orderly mining around September. We will be reinforcing orderly mining principles as we move on to ensure that there is inspection to try and limit mining activities which are not done in accordance with the provision.”
Minister Chitando said Government will soon move in to ensure that all mining activities were undertaken in accordance with the law in a safe manner to avoid disasters and loss of life.
Although mining accidents are relatively common in decommissioned mines, particularly when the ground is loosened by rain, Zimbabwe’s mining industry has come under scrutiny for human rights violations and environmental concerns. Mining is a major source of foreign currency for the southern African country, home to vast gold and mineral reserves, including diamonds and platinum.
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