Minister Moyo covered up deaths at his mine

Deputy Mines minister Fred Moyo has been accused of concealing a fatal accident at his mine, delaying the rescue for two months,Daily News reported Friday.

Four illegal miners have been found dead, trapped under his Four Stampers Mine in Chegutu.

Chief Ngezi, under whose jurisdiction the mine lies, told the Daily News yesterday that he and his people had begun excavating the minister's mine after realising that several people had been trapped underground.

It was feared more miners were trapped in dark tunnels far below the ground, in one of the worst mine disasters to hit Chegutu in recent years.

Rescue teams were struggling desperately to reach the trapped miners metres from the entrance of the mine shaft, while other villagers rushed to the scene from neighbouring areas to bolster the rescue effort.

"Our people have been saying that there are people trapped there and when we approached ... Moyo, he was reluctant to have the case investigated, maybe because he felt that his name would be dragged into the mud," Chief Ngezi said.

"But because of pressure from my people, we had to do it on our own and today (Thursday) we have managed to exhume one of the bodies and we have since alerted the police."

He said while Moyo was not doing any extraction at the mine, he had his people and equipment there, while illegal miners would sneak in to mine.

Moyo yesterday said: "Mine fatalities are dealt with by government inspectors in the province. Let the Mashonaland West government engineer respond to your questions."

Chief Ngezi alleged further efforts by him and his people to engage Moyo's nephews Edgar Mashange and Maribha Zhou, a former colonel in the Zimbabwe National Army, were met with insults.

"They did not listen to us when we told them there were people trapped underground. They did not even respect me as a chief as they insulted me each time I phoned them until I gave up.

"I later gave in to pressure from my people and we decided to seek help from Zimplats who gave us diesel and machinery to carry out the exhumation exercise that is currently underway."