Catherine Nicolette:
MY MINER FATHER was once trapped underground for thirty-six hours. As his daughter, I know the agonies a family goes through awaiting the return of the loved one. As well as the uncertainty of knowing whether your beloved Dad will return as breadwinner or - as other miners did - in a body bag.
As I watched the billowing smoke from the mining shaft roll in darkened clouds into the skyline from underground fires, casting a pall of dark smoke as day shifted to night, I prayed with every fibre of my being for my Dad to be returned to us alive.
He was. Not all were.
Stilfontein
Against this background, my heart was so sad when I heard of the deaths of miners at Stilfontein.
Pathos
The pathos of body bags being lifted to the surface from mine shafts as well as the plight of emaciated miners stumbling to the surface led me to realize that each miner is a child of God.
Unemployment
Every life tells a story. Every plight which arises from unemployment tells a tale. The saddest of all are the stories of bodies underground, burial areas under the surface.
Rest in the Arms of God
May all who have died in the depths of the earth rest in the Arms of God. Let us remember all who struggle to earn a living and sacrifice their lives and safety to ensure shelter and sustenance for their loved ones.
And may all of us who have benefited from the use of gold, gems and minerals, pause in silence in remembrance of those who mined them.
