Crumpled under rock fall

On Sunday, August 31 at approximately 08:30 Mr Patrick Mokhomola (39) and his friend were digging for coal at an old deserted mine on the Old Middelburg Road.

The two men managed to dig out a substantial amount of coal, as they filled two bags and one crate.
Mokhomola had one more crate to fill, so he carried on digging for coal so his crate could be filled.
While Mokhomola was digging, the rock face fell on top of him.

Mokhomola was crushed under the rocks; his friend ran for help and called the police.
Witbank police, fire fighters and ambulance personnel arrived on scene, but by the time the ambulance arrived, Mokhomola was dead.
It took two hours for emergency workers to remove Mokhomola’s body from underneath the rocks.

While emergency services were busy, another man walked over the hill towards the scene, carrying a large bag of coal that he had just dug up.

The policemen followed the man over the hill and eventually came to a big quarry, filled up with water.
The man showed the policemen where he was digging out the coal. He has been digging about 300m into the rock face. There are no support beams where he has been digging.

“I dig out the coal and then take it to Old Coronation where I use it,” said the man.
An autopsy will be done on Wednesday, September 3 to determine the cause of death of Mokhomola.
“He was a lovely person, very peaceful and lived for his family,” said Mr Ishmael Mokhomola, Patrick’s brother.
Mokhomola leaves behind his wife, two children and two adopted children.

The family were still busy with the final funeral arrangements on Tuesday, but a funeral will be held for Mokhomola in Graskop, his hometown, either on Saturday or Sunday, September 6 or 7.

Last year one person died when a rock fall also occurred as a result of digging out coal.