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News24 reports that on Monday, a 25-year-old unemployed Zimbabwean man asked his neighbours for R100 as he wanted the money to pay to get access to work as an illegal miner in one of the disused mining shafts along the N1 in Maraisburg.
On Wednesday morning, his eldest brother wept as he identified his body in a veld not far from the mine. The young man was one of the six dead bodies discovered along the N1 by police in what is believed to be an ongoing war among illegal mining factions. According to the deceased's brother, his sibling arrived in the country last November. He indicated: “He needed the R100 to pay to go underground. It was his first time going to the mine. He has been unemployed for a while. He said we can't stay in a house together with no money and that's why he decided to go there. And, with bad luck, now he is dead.” The dead man worked as a security guard and was fired for sleeping while on duty. He recently worked at a local car wash in New Canada, where they live. According to the brother, his sibling wanted something that would bring in more money. But he told him he was not comfortable with him joining the zama zamas. While police are investigating, in his back-room shack in New Canada, the dead man's brother is grappling with how he will break the news of the death to his family back home. "I don't know where I am going to start. How am I going to tell my parents?" he said whilst crying.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tebogo Monama & Yeshiel Panchia at News24 (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page