Class Room Block Sinks Into A Gold Mine Shaft In Kwekwe

By Staff Reporter

Disaster rage in Midlands province as grade 5 class room block at Globe and Phoenix Primary School curves into a mine shaft in Kwekwe yesterday leaving more than ten children injured.

Calls have been made, because of mining activities, the government of Zimbabwe must start looking for other alternatives of moving the town to another location.

The gold rich town has been ravaged underground to the extend that most areas in the central business district are at risk of waking up one day in mine shafts and tunnels.

City fathers who spoke to this publication yesterday evening said, regardless of the illegal mining activities happening, the government is ignoring and reluctant on surveying for another safer place to reconstruct Kwekwe town.

“This town is a hazard on its own, this is not surprising, its not the first time, the unfortunate thing is having some students injured, but most houses and building in town are at risk. This has been happening in most areas” said Robson Masaka from Mbizo.

“Illegal miners invaded the school yard and started to mine gold, authorities have been notified, but because of the political situation in the province, no action has been taken.

President comes from this part of the country and majority of illegal miners, claim to be members of the ruling party and or runners of political big wigs,” added Masaka.

Of late, province was reported of machete welding gangs, (Mashurugwi) ransacking the whole province, attacking and killing each other as well other people in the area without fear of being arrested.

The level of lawlessness in the province is unprecedented, requiring a political will, to bring order and sanity, especially from miners.

The school authority is appealing to government to act fast, either by removing the illegal miners or the school for the mining activities to go on well without injuring any person.

Efforts to get a comment from the ministry of primary and secondary education minister, Evelyn Ndlovu, were fruitless, as her mobile was not reachable by time of going to publish.

Zimbabwe is endowed with rich minerals that many don’t struggle to get access, especially those in such provinces like Marange in Manicaland, where Diamond was picked from the ground surface. people are now moving with advanced portable equipment that can detect and they open holes wherever they find minerals, for survival.

Kwekwe currently house an estimated population of over hundred and twenty thousand, and five big mining companies and over a thousand small scale and illegal miners. Mining activities started in the late 18s before 1900 and to date, the yellow metal is still being mined in the town and province at large.