Mother of four dies while digging coal
“It took us about 40 minutes to bring her to the surface. She was already dead when we finally got her out,”
In a house in Old Coronation four children are facing a future without their mother.
In an effort to keep her family warm, Ms Anna Ramogale Matentshi (56) died tragically on Saturday, August 13.
Soil collapsed on her while she was digging for coal in old mine dumps surrounding the Old Coronation.
Ms Anna Ramogale Matentshi (56) of Old Coronation was said to have died while digging coal when the soil collapsed on her.
Mr Enos Leutle community leader, who was called to the scene by community members who saw the tragedy happen right in front of their eyes, said all efforts to try and save this woman, was fruitless.
The community tried to dig her out only to find that they were digging in the wrong place and had to start all over again as the seconds ticked away.
“It took us about 40 minutes to bring her to the surface. She was already dead when we finally got her out,” explained Leutle.
The police reported that they were called out on at about 14:40 and found her body already dug out.
This is not the first incident of this nature in and around eMalahleni, many cases similar to this one have been reported in the past.
Some of the mine dumps at Old Coronation which some members of the community dug out coal. This is not the spot where Ms Anna Ramogale Matentshi died.
This community inherited the legacy of previous mining activities that never was rehabilitated.
Add to this the strong desire to survive the cold and you have death as this is not the first time the community had come to par with one of their own dying while digging out coal.
A coal dump in Old Coronation with some of the dugouts clearly seen on the hill.
Some years ago a man was buried by soil while digging coal in Lynnville, it took the rescue team hours to dig his body out.
“This is a concern of people dying while out to dig out coal, we hope some means can be found to prevent it,” Leutle said.
Matentshi’s family is still in shock. They described her as a mother dreaming big dreams for her children, a mother trying to comfort and keep them warm as the cold winter spells danced over the Highveld.
Now the children face an uncertain future without the woman who loved them so much, that she sacrificed her life to give them warmth.
The family still needs to make funeral arrangements.
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