By Staff Reporter | ZimLive |
MAZOWE – Six illegal miners were killed and four others suffered severe injuries at Mazowe Mine in Mashonaland Central when a hoist pulling them to the surface failed, sending them crashing 45 meters down.
The incident happened at around 10AM on Friday.
The mine, formerly owned by Metallon Gold but now under Namib Minerals, has been dormant since 2018.
A section of the mine with old, disused shafts has been overrun by illegal miners leading to rampant criminality including murders.
An incident report seen by ZimLive stated that the illegal miners went into the shaft at around 7PM on July 17. Tragedy struck when they were returning to the surface with their gold ore.
The dead have been named as Milton Trust Ngonzwe, 24, from Nyanga, Sebastian Dzaingwa, 33, from Sanyati, Tawanda Nyandoro, 41, from Gokwe, Edger Magenya, 30, from Kwekwe, Elvis Kasaira, 38, from Mutoko and Abel Majangara, 25, from Buhera.
The four injured miners “sustained severe injuries, including broken bones, deep cuts, and bruises,” according to the report.
Mazowe Mine obtained a court order in February last year ordering a cessation of illegal mining activities.
The government also directed the illegal miners to move out in April after three were killed in another hoist failure.
The mine fears police inaction will lead to more deaths. In the last week alone, three murders were reported at the mine.
Namib Minerals says it will be investing $300 million to revive operations at Mazowe Mine which incorporates Redwing and Jumbo mines after signing an agreement with Metallon Gold.
