By Agencies
Two women died last Saturday after a disused gold pit collapsed on them in the Nugget mining area in Matobo District, Matabeleland South. They had allegedly entered the pit to search for leftover gold.
The incident happened at around 2 pm and involved four women who are reportedly employed at a local mine. They had allegedly gone to the site on their day off to illegally look for gold remnants.
The deceased were named as Nonmatter Mlilo and Nomalanga Mabhena.
Two other women, Alice and Thandolwenkosi Mlilo — Nonmatter’s sister — survived. They were taken to the hospital, treated for injuries, and later discharged.
It is alleged that the four women had been warned earlier not to enter the area, which was considered dangerous and off-limits because of unstable ground.
“I personally warned them and chased them away from the hole because it is not safe and they were not authorised to be there,” said a senior mining official in the area who spoke to the Chronicle on condition of anonymity.
However, the women allegedly returned to the pit shortly afterwards to try to recover traces of gold.
“After that encounter, I took my medication and went to rest, only to be woken by screams and women crying for help from the direction of the pit,” the witness said.
Mine workers launched a frantic rescue. They used an excavator to remove rubble, while others dug with shovels and their bare hands to try to free the trapped women.
The rescue operation lasted close to an hour. Two of the women were pulled out alive and rushed to the hospital.
The other two were recovered from the collapsed earth and pronounced dead at the scene, the witness said.
