By Staff Reporter
Over 2 300 people are expected to attend the 47th Kamandama Memorial Service, which is set to take place at the Hwange Colliery on Thursday next week.
The memorial is held every year on June 6 to remember the 427 miners who perished at Hwange Colliery Company’s underground mine. The tragedy took place when an underground explosion occurred at the No.2 Colliery shaft, then known as Kamandama. It remains the deadliest mine accident to date in both the history of Zimbabwe and internationally. It is ranked number eight in the world’s worst mines disasters list. At 10:25am, a minute of silence is observed in remembrance.
Hwange Colliery Company corporate affairs manager Rugare Dobbie said among the people expected to attend the event at the Memorial Shrine were 71 widows of the tragic disaster, their dependants, Hwange Colliery employees, local business community, various trade unions, churches, business associates, suppliers, customers and strategic partners.
She said a day before the event, Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister Richard Moyo is expected to officiate at the Kamandama Memorial Fundraising Golf Tournament that will be held at Hwange Golf Club.
“For the golf tournament, about 120 amateur golfers are expected to take to the greens at the Hwange Golf Club for a worthy cause since the thrust of the event is to fundraise for the widows and dependants of the 1972 Kamandama Mine Disaster,” Dobbie said.
She said the organising team has set the target for this year’s fundraising at $30 000.
