The disaster
has claimed 87 lives of various nationalities from across the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) region.
The mine had
become a haven for “zama zamas” — illegal miners — who were trapped when the
authorities launched a siege operation to flush them out.
Last week, the
Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa dispatched officials from the consulate in
Johannesburg to work with South African authorities to identify affected
Zimbabweans and gather information to facilitate the identification of the
deceased and survivors.
The authorities
are expected to soon commence tracing relatives of the deceased to confirm the
identity of their loved ones or provide materials required for DNA testing,
where necessary.
Reports from
South Africa indicate that several miners chose to stay underground, fearing
arrest as South African authorities launched a siege operation targeting
illegal mining activities last year. During the crackdown, 475 illegal miners
were arrested at the mine, and efforts are underway to verify their
nationalities.
Preliminary
indications suggest that more than 100 of those arrested are Zimbabweans, the
country’s Ambassador to South Africa, Mr David Hamadziripi, confirmed to The
Sunday Mail.
He said a team
from the consulate visited Stilfontein from January 17 to 19 to verify the
nationality of the arrested individuals.
“The exercise
proceeded relatively well, but the team was unable to interview all those 475
who have been arrested by the police,” said Amb Hamadziripi.
“Arrangements
will be made with the South African Police Service to complete the verification
process.”
He added: “As
for the deceased, preliminary information indicates that we may have close to
20 Zimbabwean nationals who perished in this tragedy.
“We are
gathering information that will enable the identification of the deceased and
trace their relatives, who could assist in making incontrovertible confirmation
of their identity or provide the material required for the DNA testing, where
it is needed.
“In brief, we
are in the early days of what is likely
going to be a long and painstaking process of confirming the identity and
nationality of the deceased.” Sunday Mail
Dr Dotito 
Nhunzvatunzva 
