adminPamela Shumba Senior Reporter
AN illegal gold panner died in Shangani after his colleague allegedly attacked him and threw him into a 70-metre deep mine shaft.
Sources said police are holding two men, identified only as Joe and Danmore, suspected to have killed Amos Ncube, 30, on Thursday morning at Lady N2 Ultimate Mine, just outside Shangani.
The body was retrieved by gold panners and villagers yesterday morning.
Acting Matabeleland South police spokesperson Sergeant Thabani Mkhwananzi confirmed the incident, but could not immediately say if anyone had been arrested.
He said investigations were underway.
However, when The Chronicle arrived at the scene on Thursday afternoon, gold panners said two people had been arrested.
At that time, gold panners were trying to pump water out of the shaft to get to Ncube’s body but they only succeeded in their mission yesterday.
A gold panner Mubetesi Mudimba said he was asleep with three other gold panners when Ncube and Joe arrived from a nearby bar.
They sat by the fire talking before switching off a pump and left for home.
“Amos was walking with Joe on their way home from a bar in Shangani when they decided to pass through the mine at about 2AM,” Mudimba.
“I fell asleep. In less than 30 minutes I heard Joe screaming claiming that Danmore, who was also at the mine, had pushed Ncube into the shaft. We all rushed to investigate. We only saw one of his shoes caught between the logs covering the shaft.”
Mudimba said he went inside the shaft and saw Ncube’s body suspended on wooden beams above the water.
“I called the others. By the time they arrived he had fallen into the water and we couldn’t get to him,” added Mudimba.
He could not say if Ncube was pushed into the shaft, saying he only heard Joe screaming.
“When I rushed to investigate, I saw Joe trying to push Danmore into the shaft, accusing him of having thrown Amos into it, but Danmore managed to escape,” said Mudimba.
The owner of the mine, Awali Makoneche said he was shocked when he received a call at 6AM on Thursday informing him about the tragedy.
“I don’t know what happened. I’m equally shocked because such an incident has never happened at this mine. I received a call from one of the workers at about 6AM and I had to rush to the mine,” said Makoneche.
He said it took them a long time to retrieve the body because they did not have adequate machinery.
Online Reporter