Zama Zama found unconscious after falling into an old mine shaft
A young man slipped and fell into an abandoned mine shaft on Thursday when foraging for gold ore.
A 34-year-old man from Daggafontein was buried by a heap of rocks at the Daggafontein old shaft on Thursday morning.
He was only rescued by search and rescue teams on Friday. He was found unconscious. The man identified by his elder brother as Thabang Sentle was trying to source ore when he slipped and fell into the shaft.
“I invited him to stay with me in Daggafontein knowing that there are better opportunities for survival,” Thabang’s brother explained.
He added that he was shocked when he received a call from his neighbour informing him that his younger brother had fallen into the shaft.
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“As a former illegal miner, I know the dangers that come with being on top of the unstable heaps of rocks because one doesn’t know where there might be an opening. I genuinely feared for his life,” he said.
“We have heard stories of illegal miners who fell into the mining shafts and were only pulled out as corpses,” he explained.
A resident, Cassandra Mthembu, said this is a common occurrence as the unemployed youth in the area survive by working at the abandoned shafts.
“Those with experience know the dangerous parts of the mines and where not to venture,” said Cassandra.
“They don’t have anything else to do but to work in the shaft.”
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