- Meanwhile, youths call for the amendment of the Civil Protection Act (1989) (Chapter 10:06)
The families of six trapped miners say they are extremely depressed as the miners remain trapped in a mineshaft that collapsed due to heavy rains received in Matshetshe area in Esigodini District, Matabeleland South two weeks ago.
Four of the trapped miners namely Christopher Dube, Nkosilathi Ndlovu, Blessed Ncube and Ndumiso Dube are all members of one family from Gwanda. The fifth trapped miner is also from Gwanda but his full details are yet to be confirmed. So far the miner has been identified as Mlilo. The sixth trapped miner, Ndumiso Ntini is from Lupane.
Lithingithini Ndlovu, a relative to the trapped miners Nkosilathi Ndlovu and Blessed Ncube said “it’s really heartbreaking that our relatives are still trapped underground. We are now praying for the retrieval of their bodies so we can find closure and peace. Some of us still do not believe it’s our relatives down there.”
One of the trapped miners, Ndumiso Dube`s father who identified himself as Mr Robert Dube from Gwanda said that if the team tasked with rescuing the trapped miners is failing to conduct the rescue mission, friends and some members of his community are ready to try and extract the bodies of the miners whether dead or alive.
A relative of Ndumiso Ntini who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was shattering seeing people close to her suffer.
“We are facing a difficult and traumatic time. That feeling of just waiting with little hope of seeing your loved ones alive again; we fear the worst possible news but we have put everything to God. Everything happens for a reason, therefore, we will continue to wait and pray for them because that is what we can do at the moment,” she said.
The relative added that the mother of one of the trapped miners, Patience Ncube from Lupane is really in a bad state as hopes of seeing her son alive fades everyday she works up with no positive change of the whole situation.
uMzingwane youths have also weighed in on the situation, noting that it will be difficult for families of the trapped miners to heal without seeing their bodies.
“Relatives want their bodies as proof as they still do not believe it is their relatives trapped underground. I also heard that one Member of Parliament from uMzingwane, Levi Mayihlome said the trapped miners may be buried in the mine. This is very sad. As Africans, we want the bodies of our relatives to finally rest at home not in a mine shaft,” said Similo Ndlovu.
“Authorities are saying they are incapacitated and they may fail to extract their bodies from the mineshaft; hence there is proposal to bury the miners in that shaft. Yet some relatives still want to be sure if their relatives are really the ones trapped in the mine shaft,” said Nicholas Ngwenya, a youth from uMzingwane.
He further went on to say that “It is really heartbreaking that the government is planning to provide cement should the burial be conducted in the mine shaft, is that all the government can do? Instead of providing financial support and equipment to at least retrieve the bodies so the family and friends can find closure.
How would you feel if this was your relative? The relatives will never find peace if the bodies are not retrieved. If this had not happened, these trapped miners would have extracted gold and sold it to Fidelity, benefiting the government yet the same government is failing to go all out in supporting these small scale miners,” said Ngwenya.
Nompilo Ndlovu also a youth from uMzingwane said the whole issue had affected their community as everyone was talking about it.
“I cannot imagine the suffrage being experienced by families of the trapped miners. How do you eat knowing that your child has been trapped underground for two weeks now? It’s a harrowing encounter. People are in shock, asking each one another if the rescue team has started the mission. The whole issue just makes my stomach turn,” she lamented.
“I have heard some people asking why the miners went deeper knowing that the rain season has arrived. I want them to understand that in most cases miners have no choice but to risk it all as many of them are breadwinners. We are towards the festive season, children want clothes and other goodies for Christmas, and you cannot get all that while staying at home. For instance, I heard that the mother of one of the trapped miners lamented that her son was the sole breadwinner after the death of her husband. So those judgmental critics must stop criticising without knowing the whole story,” she added.
Sibonelo Ndlovu also from uMzingwane said that the economic situation in the country has pushed youths to undertake activities that are risky.
“While I am yet to start gold panning I would be lying if I said that thought has ever come across my mind. There comes a time when it becomes difficult to ask for money to buy airtime from your parents or ask your parents to give you money to buy underwear. It is that time you are prepared to do anything that can give you money. There are no jobs in the country and this mining thing is one of the few activities that can give you money though very dangerous when conducted under difficult conditions,” he said.
After a delayal from the provisional and district civil protection unit to respond to the incident, a team that consisted of members from Civil Protection Unit, How Mine and the Ministry of Mines was finally assembled to carry out the rescue mission, however, the mission was immediately abandoned as the mineshaft was currently flooded and surrounded by wet grounds that could risk their lives.
uMzingwane youths claimed that the delayal by the District and Provincial Civil Protection Unit was caused by the centralisation of resources in the country. They noted that these disaster management units are not fully equipped to immediately act when a disaster suddenly strikes reducing surviving chances of the affected victims.
However, some were of the view that incapable authorities are in charge, hence the poor service delivery. Some even noted that the service delivery offered by the Blanket mine in removing people from difficult wet lands such as between Colleen Bawn and Gwanda is far much better and professional than the one offered by How Mine.
Mat South youths highlighted that the reason there are problems in dealing with disasters also lies within the Civil Protection Act of 1989 (Chapter 10:06) which does not clearly articulate who is responsible for tackling disasters in particular situations. According to them, the current disaster legislation has limitations in terms of strengthening community resilience against disasters.
They alleged that the act falls short of strengthening community resilience to disasters for instance the act does not consider the role of the community in disaster reduction, therefore, it was high time the youths advocated for an act that clearly spells out who is responsible for dealing with disasters without delay.
The youths also noted that the officials responsible take advantage of the loopholes in policy and legislation by deviating from the jobs they are supposed to do.
Even some members of the District Development Council were also concerned on the loopholes of the Civil Protection act noting that it does not really spell out roles for those concerned. They said that in terms of disaster management, a stand-alone department that is fully resourced was needed hence there was need to push for the amendment of the Civil Protection Act.
Regarding the latest developments on the issue of the trapped miners, the Ministry of Mines officials who spoke with CYDT highlighted that the matter is still under discussion in the head office in Harare.
“A Parliamentary Portfolio on Mines came to assess the situation because as of now we are mainly concerned with the safety of the rescuers as chances of the trapped miners being alive are gone. We want to also try and fulfill the wishes of the family members who want to see the bodies of the trapped miners so they can find closure,” one of the officials said.
The officials warned the public to avoid being misinformed by people spreading lies about the trapped miners but wait for official statements from responsible stakeholders.
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