Chronicle EditorNqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
A MAN who was buried alive after a mine shaft caved in on him and his colleague last Friday is yet to be retrieved as the excavator which was hired to dig him up caught fire before reaching the mine on Monday.
A mine shaft collapsed on Brian Mathe (23) and Thembani Ncube (17) last Friday in Esigodini, Matabeleland South.
Villagers retrieved Ncube’s body the following day.
The villagers failed to retrieve Mathe leading to Umzingwane Rural District Council offering their excavator which failed to do the job on Sunday.
This prompted the mine owner, who is also the proprietor of Bulawayo Chiefs Football Club, Mr Lovemore Sibanda, to hire another excavator to do the job on Monday. The rescue efforts were scuttled as the hired excavator caught fire on Monday before reaching the mine.
By 5PM yesterday the second hired excavator had not reached the mine scene.
“We are now waiting for another excavator after the one we hired on Monday caught fire while being transported to the scene. The sparks from the excavator led to the veld catching fire in the process. We have since hired another one which we are still waiting for. We are still at the scene with families and the villagers,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said he has since met up with families of the deceased following complaints that he had vanished after the accident. Villagers at Crocodile Farm where the mine is situated complained about Mr Sibanda’s mining activities saying he was promoting child labour while damaging the environment.
The villagers said their livestock were falling into shafts left uncovered by Mr Sibanda’s operations.
However, Mr Sibanda dismissed their claims saying whenever accidents occur people are bound to make statements that cause alarm and despondency.
@nqotshili
Online Reporter