Musawamadlozi
Ndhlovu,
from
Madliwa
village
under
Chief
Sikhobokhobo
in
Nkayi,
was
buried
alive
when
the
shaft
he
was
working
in
gave
way
at
around
18:00
on
30
December
2025.
He
had
been
mining
with
a
16-year-old
boy,
Mqondobami
Ndhlovu,
who
was
waiting
outside
the
shaft
at
the
time.
The
teenager
escaped
unharmed
and
alerted
authorities
after
hearing
soil
falling
and
discovering
that
the
shaft
had
caved
in.
Police
said
the
incident
occurred
on
the
river
bank,
about
five
metres
from
the
water,
in
an
area
considered
highly
dangerous.
“The
shaft
was
completely
covered
with
soil
and
cracks
were
developing
around
it,
posing
a
serious
risk,”
Matabeleland
South
police
spokesperson
Inspector
Chiratidzo
Dube
said.
Efforts
to
retrieve
the
body
continued
overnight,
with
local
miners
eventually
recovering
Musawamadlozi’s
remains
on
the
morning
of
31
December.
Police
said
the
body
was
soiled
and
had
bruises
consistent
with
a
collapse-related
injury.
He
was
pronounced
dead
on
arrival
at
Filabusi
District
Hospital
by
a
medical
doctor,
before
his
body
was
transferred
to
the
mortuary
pending
a
post-mortem
examination
at
United
Bulawayo
Hospitals.
Inspector
Dube
said
police
were
investigating
the
case
as
a
sudden
death
and
warned
the
public
about
the
dangers
of
illegal
mining.
“We
urge
members
of
the
public
to
assess
the
risks
involved
in
the
activities
they
engage
in
before
being
attracted
to
making
quick
money.
Their
lives
matter,”
she
said.