MIDWEEK REPORTER
PENHALONGA-Lives continue to be lost in the gold rich Penhalonga area as artisanal seek a living through illegal panning in unsafe mine shafts.
Last Saturday at around 2pm, Kudakwashe Chihwanemoto (37) of Dumaira Village in Mutoko descended into the belly of the earth at Rezende Redwing Mine in Penhalonga and died from suffocation by inhaling gas in the 28m deep shaft.
Manicaland province acting police spokesperson Assitant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka told The Midweek Watch that Kudakwashe’s brother Misheck Chihwanemoto (42) who was standing outside the shaft sensed danger after his brother was not responding to signals while underground.
Misheck rushed to report to Penhalonga police who came and retrieved the body and took it to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for a postmortem.
Chinyoka issued a warning to illegal artisanal miners to stop underground blasting if they do not have the requisite knowledge on how to conduct the operation safely and to desist from getting into mineshafts as the ground is not stable due to rains that are pounding the area.
