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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
A WORKER at Old Nic Mine in Bulawayo was crushed and reduced to a pulp when an underground cage he was operating jammed and plunged for about 200 metres. Dennis Gumbo, 53, was buried last Friday at his rural home in Mberengwa following his death on Monday last week at about 8PM.

Gumbo’s body was retrieved at about 1PM the following day. Workers who spoke to The Chronicle said the cage Gumbo was operating was not safe as it was constantly jamming.

The workers, who alleged that they have gone for two months without getting their salaries, claimed that most of the equipment at the mine was obsolete and was not being properly maintained.

“It was a sorry sight. Gumbo was reduced to a pulp in a second. He died shortly after reporting for work at about 8PM. Earlier in the afternoon, the cage had developed a problem and it was fixed after it derailed,” said one of the workers who refused to be named. He was operating the cage that night and he transported a colleague to the 12th level underground. On his way back to the surface, the cage jammed before it plunged and landed about 200 metres from where it developed the fault.”

The worker said it was unfortunate that they were being forced to use obsolete and dangerous equipment at the expense of their lives. “There are two cages that transport workers to and from the surface. One was not working at all and the other was always jamming. Everybody knew that the machine had a problem. The management replaced some of the rails but all of them needed to be replaced.

“They always say the company doesn’t have money yet we work day and night, producing gold,” added the worker.

He said workers were living in fear as they were being forced to use ladders to go underground.

“When Gumbo died, we refused to go underground because the cage isn’t safe. We were saved by inspectors who came here and told the management that the cage couldn’t be used for safety reasons,” he said.

“We’re now using ladders, which are also not safe because they’re old. We’re forced to work under these conditions because we were told to either work or go home. Our lives are in danger but there’s nothing we can do. We all need our jobs so we’ve no choice.”

The workers alleged that the company was in the process of retrenching some workers yet there is no money to pay them and buy new equipment.

One of Gumbo’s relatives, who declined to be named, said the mining company said it would not compensate them for Gumbo’s death. “We demanded compensation since the accident was not caused by Gumbo. They told us that according to company policy, there is no compensation for workers who die on duty. The company only assisted us with funeral expenses,” he said.

Comment could not be obtained from the mine manager Mike Rust as security guards there said he was not around.