‘In God we trust’ – relatives of trapped miners keep faith

LOW’S CREEK – It is a traumatic time for the friends, family and co-workers of the missing three, as they are very uncertain of what the future holds for them.

The relatives of Mr Solomon Nyarende, Ms Yvonne Mnisi and Ms Pretty Nkambule are not losing hope, however, and believe they are still alive.

Ms Koekie Thobela Maseko, a family friend of Nyarende, arrived at the mine yesterday morning to support his family. According to Maseko, she has faith that they will come out alive. She said, “Faith is the only thing we have, if we stop believing, nothing positive will come of this. It is very painful for all of us. We have never seen anything like this. Being injured in the mine is one thing, but losing a loved one to the mine is the worst.”

Maseko said that the family members of the three missing miners still believed in their hearts that they were alive. She explained that as part of their faith, they often fast for 21 days and survive. They believe it is very possible for the three to survive for up to 21 days without food and water.

The site was visited by two traditional leaders yesterday, Mr Enock Malembe and Mr Tikhontele Solomon Dlamini – chief of the Lomshiyo Traditional Council. Dlamini blamed the incident on the fact that the mine was never formally introduced to “the ancestors”. He said he had pleaded with mine management in 2012 to have a ritual performed to introduce the mine to the ancestors, but it was never done. “We were worried because people were getting injured and we feared that the ancestors might have been unhappy about the mine.” A government delegation, including the minister of social development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, minister of mineral resources, Mr Mosebenzi Zwane, and minister of women in the presidency, Ms Susan Shabango, had a meeting with mine management yesterday. The exact reason for the gathering was not communicated, but social relief and counselling for the families were among the topics discussed.

Also see: Timeline: Lily Mine disaster

The tents initially used to house the close relatives of the missing miners were vacated yesterday and new tents were erected further away by mine employees. This was done as a precautionary measure, since the area around the sinkhole is still very unstable and it was reported by one of the miners working at Lily, Mr Manuel Mavungo, that the ground in the vicinity of the sinkhole is continuously moving.

Mr Lucky Bothma, Nyarende’s brother-in-law, has been coming to the mine every day since the incident on February 5. He sits in the heat in front of the mine gate to support his partner, who is related to Nyarende, while she is inside with the other family members. Bothma is also a miner, and after sitting at Lily Mine for the whole day, heads off to do night shift at the nearby Barbrook Mine. Bothma recalled the events of Sunday, when the third collapse occurred (see story on front page). He was inside the mine’s grounds at the time, praying for the three lost miners. “We had just finished a church service. Five minutes later we heard a terrifying noise as rocks fell into the sinkhole. We were very scared.”

He explained that after that, family members prayed even harder than before since they believed that, if they stopped, more rocks would fall. According to Bothma, mine management has explained to them that it is far too dangerous to continue work at present. Bothma has known Nyarende for many years and described him as a loving family man.

Also read: Mine rescue on hold to assess danger