15 miners feared dead after shaft collapse at Scott Sakupwanya’s mine

MUTARE – Fifteen miners are believed to have died Thursday morning following the collapse of a shaft at a mine owned by controversial gold dealer and now Zanu PF’s Mabvuku-Tafara MP Pedzai Scott Sakupwanya.

Operations at Redwing Mine in Penhalonga (50 km from Mutare) were suspended in January 2023 due to safety concerns and the issuance of a non-compliance notice by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).

According to James Mupfumi, the director of the Centre for Research and Development, a shaft gave way trapping several gold miners underground on Thursday in the morning.

Hundreds of people in Penhalonga are said to have flocked to the site to help with rescue operations.

In May last year, Nehanda Radio reported how Sakupwanya conducted a ritual ceremony to cleanse the mine as his company, Better Brands was set to resume operations.

According to reports at the time, the rituals were done ostensibly to appease the spirits of several artisanal miners who perished at the mine.

Mining at the site had been halted a few months before (January 2023) by the Environmental Management Agency following reports of illegal mining practices.

Centre for Natural Resources and Governance (CNRG) has always been exposing Better Brands Mining for allegedly defying EMA’s directive to stop operations.

CNRG Executive Director, Farai Maguwu is on record explaining that the model of mining that was employed by Better Brands was against responsible mining tenets and has resulted in workers dying almost every week at the gold-rich facility.