By A Correspondent| Six illegal gold miners died and four others sustained serious injuries on Friday morning after a hoist system malfunctioned at Mazowe Mine, sending them plunging 45 meters down a disused shaft.
The tragic incident occurred around 10AM on July 18 at the mine, located in Mashonaland Central Province. According to a report obtained by ZimLive, the miners had entered the shaft the previous evening at approximately 7PM and were being pulled to the surface with their ore when the hoist cable snapped.
The deceased were identified as:
- Milton Trust Ngonzwe (24) from Nyanga
- Sebastian Dzaingwa (33) from Sanyati
- Tawanda Nyandoro (41) from Gokwe
- Edger Magenya (30) from Kwekwe
- Elvis Kasaira (38) from Mutoko
- Abel Majangara (25) from Buhera
The four surviving miners suffered extensive injuries, including multiple fractures, deep lacerations, and bruising, the report stated.
Mazowe Mine, formerly owned by Metallon Gold and now under Namib Minerals, has been inactive since 2018. In its dormant state, the mine’s abandoned shafts have become a hotspot for illegal mining, often marred by violence and fatalities.
A court order was issued in February 2024 mandating the removal of all illegal miners from the site, but enforcement has been weak. In April, a similar hoist failure claimed the lives of three other miners.
In the past week alone, at least three murders linked to turf wars among illegal miners have been reported at the mine.
Namib Minerals, which recently signed an agreement with Metallon Gold, says it plans to invest US$300 million to resuscitate operations at Mazowe, including the Redwing and Jumbo mines. The company has raised concerns over continued police inaction, warning that without urgent intervention, more lives could be lost.