Pretoria - It has been a long roller-coaster ride for families of three mineworkers still trapped underground at a Barberton mine as attempts to rescue them entered the sixth day.
Yvonne Mnisi, Solomon Nyerende and Pretty Nkambule were trapped in a lamp-room last Friday morning when a structural pillar gave in and caused a section of the Vantage Goldfields Lily Mine to collapse.
Read: Trapped miners: Amcu pleads for help
The room, a 30m long container that houses lamps, rescue packs (self-breathing apparatus which last for 30 to 45 minutes each) caved-in.
It is believed that the container is stuck between about 50 000 tons of rock and rubble in an 80m hole. Rescuers have not reached it after more than 118 hours of repeated drilling, blasting and hoisting rocks.
“It is hard to hold on to any sort of faith after six days of not seeing your loved ones. A person can only last for a limited time without water, a decreasing amount of oxygen and no food. It’s hard to stay faithful,” said Kennedy Nyerende.
His son Solomon is among the trio.
Nyerende said his faith was beginning to wane with every minute that passed. He appreciated the efforts being invested into locating and rescuing his son, but he had not received any concrete information to inspire his faith.
“I cannot blame the rescue workers or the mine for how long it’s taking to get to them because these are difficult and dangerous conditions that they are working in,” he said.
Elmond Mnisi, Yvonne’s father, believes that his daughter would be alive when the rescue operation ends.
Mnisi, who is also employed at the mine, said he was satisfied with how the rescue operation was going so far. “I believe that we will find them alive. But if they are not alive, then that’s the will of God. If they are alive, I will be indebted to God forever.”
Allied Mineworkers and Construction Union’s president Joseph Mathunjwa had been underground and assisted with the rescue mission.
He said: “We are optimistic because the container has been detected. The crew detected sound and we know in which area the container is and that’s where the team has been focusing. I have been inside the mine, but then when you go down you don’t want come back up because you know there are people trapped down there.”
PRETORIA NEWS