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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THE body of a mine worker who was buried alive last Friday when a mine shaft caved on him and his colleague was retrieved yesterday, four days after the incident.

A mine shaft collapsed on Brian Mathe (23) and Thembani Ncube (17) at Crocodile Farm in Esigodini, Matabeleland South.

Thembani’s body was retrieved the following day, but Mathe’s body remained trapped as those searching for his body failed to locate it.

This forced the mine’s owner, Mr Lovemore Sibanda, to hire two excavators.

The first excavator caught fire on Monday before reaching the scene and the second one was used to retrieve the body yesterday.

The mine’s manager, Mr Nichodemus Khumalo, confirmed that the body was retrieved yesterday.

“The body was retrieved at about 4AM. It was decomposing,” he said.

A villager who declined to be named said: “His decomposing body was removed before being taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals where the post mortem will be conducted.”

Villagers at Crocodile Farm where the mine is situated complained about Mr Sibanda’s mining activities saying he was promoting child labour while damaging the environment.

The villagers said their livestock was falling into shafts left uncovered by Mr Sibanda’s operations.

However on Sunday, Mr Sibanda dismissed their claims saying whenever accidents occur people are bound to make statements that cause alarm and despondency.

@nqotshili