2 die in Kwekwe gold mine collapse

A DRIVER who works for Delta Beverages tested positive to COVID-19 on Monday as the resort town of Kariba recorded its first confirmed case.

The driver, who works at the Harare depot, visited his family in Nyamhunga where he experienced COVID-19 symptoms, leading to the decision to screen him for the virus.

Samples were taken to Chinhoyi last week and the results came out positive on Monday. The patient is isolated at home.

Kariba district medical officer Godwin Muza confirmed the development.

This has seen his office working closely with the Kariba municipal health department embarking on contact tracing to identify and isolate all those the patient might have been in contact with.

"The public is urged to remain calm and do all that was advised by health authorities as we are working closely with communities following the identification of the patient," Muza said.

Kariba Incorporated Area Residents and Ratepayers Association executive director Sam Mawawo applauded the swift reaction by medical staff.

The latest positive COVID-19 case comes as a wakeup call to the small resort town.

TWO illegal gold miners died while another was injured when a gold mine they were working in collapsed in Mbizo, Kwekwe, yesterday morning.

An illegal mine in Mbizo’s KMP area collapsed while the panners were busy searching for the yellow mineral, despite a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on the country by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last Friday.

The illegal miners entered the shaft on Monday night around 10pm and were hit by the tragedy the following morning at 3am.

Midlands Police Provincial spokesperson Joel Goko confirmed the death of the two illegal miners.

“I have been informed that two people died and one was injured. He, however, ran away from the hospital. I am yet to get full information now,” Goko said.

According to witnesses, one of the survivors was taken to a clinic in Mbizo 8, but escaped from the health facility before the police came to take statements. Police later retrieved the bodies from the collapsed disused mine with the assistance of artisanal miners.

The accident comes a year after at least 22 miners died at Battlefields near Kwekwe. In the past month, police have arrested hundreds of illegal miners involved in violent wars for mining claims.

Meanwhile, 28 illegal gold miners who defied lockdown regulations and went to Mazowe Mine (Jumbo) were trapped, rescued by the police and arrested for not wearing respiratory masks.

The matter came to light yesterday at Concession magistrates courts where the gold panners appeared before magistrate Nixon Mangoti. The illegal miners pleaded guilty to the charges and Mangoti fined them $500 each for not wearing masks and $1 500 each for criminal trespassing.

The court heard that on July 12, the convicts unlawfully entered Mazowe Mine shafts and got trapped inside.

Police officers managed to rescue them and observed that they were not wearing masks. They were arrested and taken to Mazowe Police Station before being sent to court.

Moses Kuimba represented the State.