Miner killed at Epson mine
A small-scale miner Mr Pilot Chigora aged 41 was killed when a block he and his colleagues were working on fell hit him from the left rib and fractured his left leg below the knee.
According to witnesses, the deceased and two known workmates Willard Shumba aged 42 and Benson Mazvodza aged 41 went down someone’s shaft at 17:00hrs they stayed down until everyone was out of the shafts at 18:00hrs.
Norton miners Association chairman Mr Previlage Moyo said, “His workmates said at 19:00hrs they worked on a pillar whose block fell from the left side of the deceased and hit him from the left rib and fractured his left leg below the knee”.
“He was evacuated by his workmates with the help of the security guards whilst he was still alive. A vehicle was sort and ferried him to the hospital where he was declared dead at 11 pm”.
The arrangement with the mine owner was that mining at night was prohibited but the trio went down illegally on their own accord as even the security guards were not aware that there are miners under and let alone in someone else’s shaft. At 17:00hrs everyone will be ordered out of the mine and shafts at the mine that accommodated over 200 miners.
Before the fateful day, on the 1st of December 2019, the local spirit medium Ambuya Nemhaswe visited the mine conducting some duties as requested by miners. Amongst all the miners she picked the deceased and ordered him not to go under as he has some issues best known to him to solve first, to which he agreed to and acknowledged.
Mr Chigora was buried at his rural home in Mt Darwin.