Officials Resolve To Continue Trapped Miners Search
Officials from the Civil Protection Unit, Ministry of Mines, local leadership and Task Mining Syndicate management held a crisis meeting on Sunday about the rescue effeorts for five artisanal who were have been trapped in a shaft at Task Mining Syndicate in Chegutu for nearly two weeks.
Two local traditional leaders, Chief Ngezi and Headman Simon Nyamukanga also attended the closed-door session.
It was agreed in the meeting that rescue efforts at the mine should continue as the families of the miners want the bodies recovered for burial if the five have died.
Calisto Dzinoreva, brother to one of the trapped workers said an earlier decision by officials to abandon the rescue efforts and seal the mine was ill-informed. He said:
One of the officials had hinted on the abandonment and subsequent closure of the mine on Saturday, but the decision was ill-informed.
If they assume that they are dead, we deserve to bury our loved ones back home and, not at this shaft.
Chief Government mining engineer, Michael Munodawafa confirmed that the Mines Ministry had approved the continuation of the search. He said:
We are equally concerned about the lives of those that are trapped and their rescuers, hence, efforts should be carried from a careful perspective.
The trapped miners have been identified as Constantino Dzinoreva (47) based in Chegutu, Charles Mutume (31) Based in Zvimba, Shingai Gwatidzo (20) from Mhondoro and brothers Munashe Christian (17) and Crynos Nyamukanga (44) from Zvimba.
