Africa-Press – Botswana. A newly discovered shaft at the site of the former Monarch gold mine has sent shockwaves through the community, prompting urgent calls for safety measures and investigations.
The gaping hole of currently unknown depth was discovered near a frequently used walkway, raising serious concerns about the safety of residents, particularly school children. Addressing a kgotla meeting on Friday, Area MP, Mr Ignatius Moswaane confirmed the discovery and revealed the alarming possibility of additional, undetected shafts in the vicinity.
“There is a real and present danger. We have taken immediate action to declare the area a no-go zone, effective immediately,” he said.
He explained that temporary measures included barricading the immediate area with tree branches, to be followed by more robust wire fencing. Mr Moswaane said security personnel would be deployed to enforce the closure and prevent access to the site. Additionally, he said a team of mine experts would conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the extent of the hidden danger.
Mr Moswaane went on to remind residents of a tragic incident years ago, when two individuals fell into a previously undiscovered shaft, their bodies never recovered. He pleaded with parents to keep their children away from the area, emphasising the life-threatening nature of the situation.
“Anyone who falls in will not be retrieved. It’s simply too dangerous,” he said.
Chief Engineer, Tshepiso Moremodi from the Department of Mines echoed the gravity of the situation. He confirmed that the new shaft had not been detected during the mine’s 2022 rehabilitation.
“Rehabilitating a closed mine is expensive, and the emergence of new shafts is a possibility,” he said.
Mr Moremodi attributed the new discovery to the inherent challenges of mine closure and rehabilitation. He explained that mine shaft closures and new discoveries near Kagiso Funeral Parlour posed a safety risk to the densely populated residential area, as shafts may exist beneath or near buildings.
“The department has decided to isolate the area to mitigate the risk. We suspect more shafts remain undiscovered, and this calls for further research and investigation,” he said.
He further appealed to residents to prevent children from playing or engaging in any activity near the site. Mr Moremedi said there were no remaining gold deposits at the site to warrant any activity around the mine.
Adding to the urgency, Francistown Mayor Gaone Majere highlighted the long-term concerns. He said the recent flooding caused water to accumulate in these shafts, with the overgrown vegetation.
“We are committed to implementing short and long-term interventions to mitigate the situation,” Mr Majere added.
He raised the unsettling possibility of further undiscovered shafts appearing in the near future.
Area Councillor Ms Dorcus Moemedi revealed that a child had initially discovered the new shaft, narrowly avoiding a tragic accident. She highlighted additional concern of inadequate street lighting and the proximity of primary and secondary schools, increasing the risk to the lives of the children.
The discovery of a new shaft at the former Monarch gold mine has sparked further anxieties about the site’s hidden dangers. One resident, Mr Dozen Mogochwa recounted a conversation with his late father, a former Monarch mine worker.
He claimed his father warned of extensive underground channels extending as far as Philip Matante International Airport. He even suggested the possibility that Francistown itself was sitting atop these channels.
Another resident, Mr Mbizo Madafini, corroborated these fears. He said that after being allocated a plot near the mine, he heard mining activity beneath his newly built single-room dwelling, implying hidden channels under the property. He said this underscored the potential for extensive and undiscovered underground networks posing a significant risk to the community.
This wide and deep opening has water collected at its base, mirroring the dark depth of the danger. This ominous hole is located near a popular walkway used daily by residents, including school children travelling between Phase 6 and Monarch Area 2. The proximity to this heavily trafficked pathway raises the immediate threat to life to critical levels.
A report submitted by Area Councillor Ms Moemedi on April 24, 2024 alerted the Department of Mines to the situation. Subsequent investigations by department officers confirmed the severity of the problem.
While they visually confirmed the large opening, the officers were unable to conduct a thorough safety inspection due to concerns about additional, unseen openings concealed within the dense vegetation.
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