Panner dies in shaft collapse

Rufaro Winter, Chronicle Reporter

A BULAWAYO man died when a mine shaft collapsed in Woodville Park on Friday.

MacDonald Mhunga (29) and his colleagues were panning for gold when he got trapped under rubble.

The shaft was 10 meters deep and his colleagues failed to rescue him.

The fire brigade was called to the scene and a rescue operation started on the same day at about 4pm and was stopped at around 7pm due to bad lighting.

The body was retrieved at 2pm on saturday.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the incident and urged members of the public to desist from illegal mining activities.

He said illegal mining is an offence and continues to take many lives in Zimbabwe every year.

Insp Ncube said, “Members of the public should find better ways of making money because in this case the mine was already abandoned which is a clear sign that the authorities had already seen the level of harm that place has.” – @rufarovaraidzo