Ratidzo Munembi
ZAKA – An illegal
mining expedition turned into a tragedy after a woman from Gachiti village near
Perirendava area under Chief Bota died after a mine shaft which she was working
in collapsed.
Ward
30 Councillor Fortune Maputsa confirmed the incident and said they were
saddened by the loss of life of a woman who was the sole breadwinner of a
family of five.
Although
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Charity Mazula said that the report had
not yet reached her office, TellZim News established that the woman’s name is Mavis
Jakata who left a three-year-old child.
Maputsa
told TellZim News that Jakata was working in a three metre deep shaft when the
tragedy occurred.
“Witnesses
said the woman had turned down a request by another miner to work on her ore
which she had dug out. It is not clear how the ore ended up falling back in the
pit in which she worked,” said Maputsa
He
said other miners reportedly fled from the scene only to come back some time
later to dig her out of the pit.
“Those
who were close ran away when they heard what had happened but later came back
and started digging. They found her unconscious and rushed her to Bota Clinic
where she was pronounced dead upon arrival,” he said.
Maputsa
said a team from Environmental Management Agencies (EMA), Zaka Rural District
Council (RDC) and the police visited the scene after the incident to assess the
area.
“Representatives
from EMA said the area was fit for mining but those who intend to do the mining
should register and regularise so that they be helped to adhere to safety
measures,” said Maputsa.
He
said three more people had escaped death at the same place before the recent
incident, with one of them yet to fully recover.
