Zama zama Wars cause of mine deaths not gas explosion - Photos

In a bizarre turn of events, reports from the Roodeport Mine disaster indicate that the scores of people, predominantly Zimbabweans who died underground the mine were actually victims of Zama zama warfare not underground gas explosions as previous reported.

Reports coming from sources at the mine indicate that almost all the bodies recovered from the mine had gun shot or stab wounds or scares showing signs of violent attacks. Initial reports from the mine had indicated that there was a gas explosion underground which raised fears of mass deaths in the deep mine shafts.



The periphery of the great City of Johannesburg is dotted with tens of disused mines which attract a lot of illegal gold miners from all over South Africa and the region. As a result of the huge attraction of the varied illegal miners known as Amazama zama, there is huge wars between the different nationalities above and underground. The wars are so bad that everyone going underground must be well armed and covered by fellow country men. If one is caught unarmed or uncovered they are normally captured and used as slaves to dig for the other group before being shot or stabbed dead when they run of energy.

Reports from survivors at the mine who have finally opened up indicate that the more than 30 Zimbabwean bodies retrieved from the mine were all results of gun shots from their Mozambiquean rivals. The sources indicate that the Zimbabwean contingent last week struck a very rich gold belt from which lots of gold was being extracted much to the ire of the Mozambiquean miners who attacked the Zimbabweans in a gun fire.

The unsuspecting Zimbabweans who were not equally armed were literally condoned off by the Mozambiqueans who fired at them wantonly resulting in the death of scores of Zimbabweans and Zulu speaking South Africans who were mining the rich belt.




In all as at end of day Friday about 32 bodies of Zimbabwean nationals had been retrieved from the mine and scores more of South Africans and Lesotho nationals. Most of the bodies had numerous gun shot wounds, some with stab wounds and some showing signs of very violent attacks with signs that heavy weapons like picks and shovels may have been used in the attacks. Some of them had signs of burns which showed that perhaps they had been set alight by either petrol bombs or were smeared with petrol and set alight.

This morning the South African authorities were said to have been preparing to close off the mine without sending rescue personnel underground in fear of suffocation if gas explosion had really been the cause of the deaths. Following pleas and confessions by some of the survivors, the action was called off and bodies began being pulled out from the mine manually. Several bodies are said to be still underground and "rescue" operations are continuing.

A group of Zimbabwean activists mostly from the Zimbabwean African People's Union (ZAPU) have been coordinating the "rescue" of Zimbabweans in the mine. According to reports from the activists, a funeral parlour in Johannesburg has provided a quotation of R53 000 to repatriate the bodies from South Africa for burial in Zimbabwe. The coordinators are appealing for Zimbabweans from all walks of life to come on board and donate towards the repatriation and burial of the deceased. One family from Nkayi is reported to have lost seven of its members in the disaster and is failing completely to bring the bodies for burial back home.

No comment has yet been officially made by the Zimbabwean government in Zimbabwe nor from the embassy in South Africa.