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Conrad Mupesa-Mashonaland West Bureau
Tragedy has hit a 65-year-old Mapinga woman, Gogo Pamidzai Kaitano, following the death of her two sons and a neighbour’s son in a mining accident on Wednesday.
The three are believed to have succumbed to inhaling exhaust fumes produced by a generator they had taken underground to power a jackhammer to disintegrate huge chrome ore boulders.
The bodies of the three, all aged 27 years, were retrieved around 6pm, two hours after the accident and were taken to Banket Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.
Ellesha Chitiza, a nephew to one of the three, chronicled how the incident occurred.
“I received a call from Musoja who was sponsoring my uncle, my cousin and my friend, that something terrible had occurred at the mine. I rushed to check what had happened. I noticed that the bodies of my uncle and cousin were lying lifeless a few metres from the entrance of the mine
“My friend’s body was a distance away from those two,” he said.
“I went down the shaft to investigate what had caused their death but couldn’t go further as I was now gasping for air. This means that there was a presence of poisonous gas in the shaft.”
He said the generator in question was never found at the scene.
The Herald visited Gogo Kaitano at Kilmaqdouh Compound near Mapinga Truckstop, where a sombre atmosphere painted the sorrowful situation. The pain of losing her sons was written all over her face.
“They were taking care of me; as you can see I am partially blind. For the past two months after joining the sector, they managed to buy food and bring other items at the house,” said the dejected elderly woman.
From their sweat and hard work, the two also started to transform their mother’s homestead.
“They had started working towards constructing a modern house.”
The old woman’s homestead is currently made up of two thatched mud houses.
Gogo Kaitano’s other son, Mr Didymus Mukuya Mangeyi, appealed to the Government and well-wishers to assist them in such a difficult time.
“This tragedy has come at a time when the family was at its lowest. We are appealing for assistance to bury our loved ones in a decent manner,” he said. A neighbour, Mr Size Phiri, said the community was shocked by the accident.
“This is so touching considering that the two young men had been the old lady’s helpers and a source of hope,” he said.
Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Minister of State for Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mr Josphat Jaji, who also chairs the Civil Protection Unit, said the district protection unit had been notified and investigations are underway.
“We have activated our district civil protection unit. Our teams were on the ground on Wednesday and investigations will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the deaths,” he said.
Mashonaland West Provincial Minister Marian Chombo said she was saddened by the development adding that assistance will be rendered to the families.
Online Reporter