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Herald Reporter

A Chegutu artisanal miner miraculously escaped death after being trapped underground for seven days following the collapse of a shaft at Kujorotsi Mine where he was panning for gold.

Francis Manyika only had the heavens to thank after he was found alive by fellow panners. 

He was on his usual shift when the mine shaft suddenly collapsed and tonnes of earth seemingly sealed his fate.

Chances of survival were almost nil. 

The next seven days were emotional, with excavators and the community working long hours as they launched a rescue effort. 

Every one thought Manyika had died. 

Funeral preparations were naturally beginning to be made, but an indistinct sound coming from underground revived hope for the search party.

On Wednesday, Manyika came out of the mine shaft alive, and told journalists it was a miracle for him to be alive.

“It is by the grace of God that I came out alive,” he said. 

“For the entire duration while I was underground, everything was normal. I could not feel anything, but a normal cool breeze.

“I was only scared when an excavator almost hit me. Eventually, they reached where I was.”

 Manyika’s mother could not believe that her son survived the scary incident and equated his escape from death to that of the Biblical Daniel, who survived in the Lion’s Den.

The food that was meant for Manyika’s funeral turned to a meal for joy as the community celebrated his survival.

 The mine is menacingly deep, but his colleagues were determined to rescue their fellow artisanal miner.

Miner manager, Mr Gilbert Matema, said the sound made by Manyika underground gave them hope that he could be alive.

 Chegutu West legislator Dexter Nduna commended the workmanship exhibited by the community in their determination to rescue Manyika.