“The soldiers only went 10 metres deep into the shafts but could not reach the bottom. They came back to inform us that it was too dangerous down there as some rocks were falling,” Baleseng said. He added that they are investigating whether indeed human beings fell into the shafts as reported. He said the incident allegedly took place on Sunday morning. An elderly woman said she witnessed two unidentified men chasing each other before they slipped into the shafts. She reported the matter to the police. The old woman was gathering Mophane worms with her grand daughter in the bushes when the incident occurred.
“Although there were signs that something had fallen into these shafts, we are yet to establish whether indeed people fell inside,” said Baleseng. He appealed to residents of Phase Six to report any missing person to the police and to avoid going to the bushes near the shafts.
Residents of Phase Six and Monarch areas have long appealed to authorities to fence-off the abandoned mine shafts in the area as they posed a hazard to them, especially children who wander around. Former Monarch East councillor, Winfred Masima is also understood to have expressed concern over the uncovered shafts. He said most people who have been reported missing in the area could have fallen into the mineshafts, which are said to be flooded with water from Tati and Ntshe Rivers.
In 2003, the shafts were said to be caving in. Stephen Williams, who was the then director of mines, had indicated that there was another cave-in in 1994, which affected the ground below Nyangabgwe Hospital.
