Zama zama falls 70 metres to his death
Apparently allegations of faction war were rife.
An apparent turf war between rival illegal mining groups claimed the life of a zama zama at Pilgrim’s Rest in Mpumalanga, the Lowvelder reports.
A large party of rescue workers had to recover his body the following day. The 28-year-old was fleeing from heavily armed rivals when he slipped and fell 70 metres to his death.
The two factions hail from Lesotho and Mozambique. This is according to Bossies Community Justice (BCJ) operational manager, Albert Gryvenstein.
“The victim belonged to the Mozambican group,” said Gryvenstein.
Prior to his fall, members of the Lesotho group had allegedly robbed the Mozambicans of their profits. The latter, armed with machetes and sjamboks, reportedly launched an attack on the former. As the custodian of his faction’s mining profits, the 28-year-old feared for his life and made a run for it.
“He ran along a footpath and slipped. For the first 40 metres, he tumbled without regaining his balance. This was followed by a 30-metre vertical drop,” said Gryvenstein.
No gold or money was found on the victim.
Gryvenstein, BCJ’s Danie Theron, the town’s police, Police Search and Rescue’s Sgt Leon Harrington, residents and members of Mbombela’s Off Road Rescue Unit, met in Pilgrim’s Rest to assist.
“A high-angle body recovery had to be orchestrated because the victim had fallen between 60 and 70 metres to his death. It took us about five hours to retrieve the body,” added Gryvenstein.
– Caxton News Service
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