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A 20-YEAR-OLD illegal miner died after a shaft collapsed while he was searching for gold at a mine in Esigodini.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred on Monday at around 5PM at Alice Farm Compound in Esigodini. He said Nkosilathi Mkandla was in the company of two friends when he entered into a shaft at a disused mine.

“I can confirm that we recorded a fatal mine accident which occurred in Alice Farm Compound in Esigodini. Nkosilathi Mkandla was in the company of two others when they arrived at a disused mine shaft. He went down the shaft in search for gold samples while his peers remained outside.

“The shaft collapsed while he was inside and buried him. His friends dug him out but by the time they got to him he was already dead. The matter was reported to the police who attended the scene and Mkandla’s body was ferried to Esigodini District Hospital mortuary,” he said.

Chief Insp Ndebele urged members of the public to desist from engaging in illegal mining activities as by so doing they were endangering their lives. He also urged miners to stay away from disused or abandoned shafts as they were a life threat.

“Mining is a dangerous activity which requires people to follow the necessary rules and requirements. People must desist from engaging in illegal mining activities as they will be risking their lives. Disused or closed shafts should be left alone as they are a risk to human life. If shafts have been abandoned it means that experts realised that further operations in those shafts will endanger the lives of people. Those shafts would have also been ruled out as unsafe and that should be respected,” he said.