Ministry to assess houses built on disused mine
A DREAM of owning a house in Beitbridge town has turned into a nightmare for a family who built their property atop a disused mine unknowingly, as the shaft has started curving in.
The Majuru family acquired a residential stand from Beitbridge Municipality in 2007 and have been living in a state of shock and fear since the discovery of a mine shaft in their yard in 2014.
Though they managed to back fill the opening by then following a lukewarm response from the local authority, the problem continues to haunt them.
It is also understood that at some point the local authority had to re-allocate their (Majurus) neighbour another residential stand due to the state of affairs.
The issue is reportedly affecting several houses near the mine shaft which used to be run by PUB copper miners in the early 70s.
T h residents have since closed one of the roads t o avoid further
e tremours and damages to the mine shaft pending finalisation of investigations by authorities from the Ministry of Mines.
A brave family member Mr Justin Chimedza had to enter the disused to make his own assessment due to delays to attend to their plight by authorities.
“After waiting for the local authority to act for some time, I decided to get into the pit to make an assessment. I went down for three metres and discovered three tunnels where one can walk upright.
“It is not clear how the former miners closed the mine. As we speak the front elevation and the car park is in suspension, it’s sitting on a big hole and we are not sure what will happen as we continue receiving heavy rains,” he said.
The property owner Mrs Eunice Majuru said when it starts raining the whole family of eight will be crammed in one room far away from the
big hole. “We are anxious and have been waiting for eternity for help from th e
local authority and Ministry of Mines officials.
“To avoid further damages or risks, we are now parking our cars at a neighbour’s house and our children are no longer safe, you have to guard them vigilantly,” she said.
Mrs Majuru said they have been waiting for a very long time to get full closure from authorities on the way forward.
According to Mrs Majuru, the family had to close a road past their house to avoid causing further damages to the caving in shaft.
Her husband, Farai said: “To make matters worse we drilled a borehole close to the mine shaft and are not sure if the water is still safe for consumption. Beitbridge Town Clerk Mr Loud Ramakgapola said they had informed the Ministry of Mines and Mining development about the issue.
“We have been engaging the Ministry of Mines to give us a map of the mine and their recommendations so that we may make an informed decision.
“They were here three weeks ago and we will hear from them when they conduct physical examinations of the place,” he said.
The provincial director in the Ministry of Mines and Mining development Mr Tichaona Makuza said they were sending a technical team to make assessments at the area this week.
“We are equally concerned about the plight of the residents around that area. We made preliminary investigations last month and have sent a technical team to make on site assessments and make recommendations,” he said. Beitbridge East Member of Parliament Cde Albert Nguluvhe said he visited the affected families and was working with them to find a solution, adding there were options for council to compensate or relocate those affected.