Life of ‘makorokoza’
IT IS a place where only the brave dare to venture. Any weakling is better advised to dare not stray into the gold mining tunnels of Shurugwi which have gained fame as a treasure trove of gold. In a nerve-wrecking assignment, The Sunday Mail Extra went underground into the tunnels at Wanderer Mine in Shurugwi to explore what happens inside the shafts which have brought tales of riches and tragedies to the thousands of gold panners (makorokoza) who ply the area.
Guided by some experienced makorokoza who are now formally employed by the owners of the mining claims, The Sunday Mail Extra experienced a first-hand feel of life in the sub-terranean.
The cave-like exteriors of the tunnels are captivating to the eye and leave you enticed to experience the adventure. Entering the gold-laden vaults is not a problem as you can easily walk in or dive down through a rope. But once inside, the hairs on the neck immediately start to stand. A labyrinth of thoroughfares greet you and it is clear that if you do not know your route, you will be lost in the maze.
It is no wonder why the mines are called Wanderer, as the tunnels stretch for several kilometres, meandering sharply into what seems like the middle of nowhere.
As you gravitate further down, the atmosphere begins to alter as temperatures drop sharply, the air becoming thinner. Going further into the tunnels, the screeching sounds of bats pierce the ear while unmarked holes become more frequent, making the possibility of falling into the ditches a grim reality.
At this stage one needs the agility of a footballer to slalom past the holes and watch every step as any slight mistake can lead to a fall into any of the ditches that litter the under-surface.
From this point, those who are not expert gold panners are advised not to embark on any further forays because inside it becomes a life-or-death affair.
Gold panners believe the tunnels at Wanderer Mine will never run out of gold and they also vow to continue mining there, even though doing so has two defining possibilities - getting rich or dying.
The treasure hunts in the Wanderer gold mines, therefore, provide a thriller story of the good, the bad and the ugly as hundreds of kiogrammes of gold ore are extracted annually while tragedies are also commonplace.
The good
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Dr John Mangudya, has been on record saying small-scale miners are the real heroes of the economy and after wandering into the tunnels of Wanderer mine, it was easy to see why. The agility with which the makorokoza navigate through the depths of the tunnels is jaw-dropping. Through a combination of bravado,
◆