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Thandeka Moyo Chronicle Reporter—
A MAN is feared dead after he slipped and fell into a 26m deep well while working in a mine shaft at Shamrock 5 Mine in Hope Fountain on Saturday. The man, only identified as Tafadzwa from Masvingo, was still trapped in the shaft by 3PM yesterday. Witnesses and mine authorities said Tafadzwa fell into the deep well on his third day at work at around 5PM.

A Chronicle news team visited the scene yesterday and found members of the Police Sub Aqua Unit and the Fire Brigade trying to drain the water and retrieve the body.

Tennyson Sigola, the owner of the Shamrock 5 Mine, said they were doing all they could to retrieve the body of the miner. “He joined us three days ago and we were yet to familiarise ourselves with him. We only know that he is Tafadzwa from Masvingo and we’re trying to track his family,” said Sigola.

He said Tafadzwa was in the company of three colleagues when he slipped into the water on Saturday.

“They tried looking for him around the area which is full of water and failed which made them conclude that he had drowned. So far members of the Fire Brigade, sub aqua unit and staffers from How Mine have come to help us drain water from the shaft in a bid to retrieve his body,” Sigola said.

One of the mine employees who spoke on condition of anonymity said the new miner was not yet familiar with the shaft which has many hazards.

“Our job comes with a lot of safety hazards as our employers are slow to repair equipment which we use when mining. I believe that he fell into the water after stepping on a rotten piece of timber used by workers on their way out of the mine,” he said.

Efforts to get comments from the Bulawayo Acting Chief Fire Officer, Edward Mpofu, were fruitless as his mobile phone was unreachable.