Panner dies in shaft collapse

Rufaro Winter, Chronicle Reporter
A BULAWAYO man died when a mine shaft he was working in collapsed in Woodville Park on Friday.

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

The shaft is 10 metres 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 but the workers had to stop around 7pm due to bad lighting.

The body was retrieved at about 2pm the following day.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the incident and urged members of the public to desist from engaging in 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 that the shaft was now dangerous.” — @rufarovaraidzo