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Jagersfontein: Residents try to salvage anything they can to restart their lives

Washed-away cars, houses, wardrobes and building materials are some of the things which greet you as you enter the town of Charlesville in the Jagersfontein area in the Free State.

^{JAGERSFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA SEPTEMBER 11: A car covered in a grey sludge after a mining dam burst on September 11, 2022 in Jagersfontein, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Volksblad/Mlungisi Louw)}

Residents were trying to salvage anything they could to restart their lives, while those whose houses were completely swept away have either been placed in local halls or are in hospital.

Residents were woken up by mudslides caused by a nearby mine tailings dam bursting. They claim the dam had been a disaster waiting to happen, but nothing had been done, despite their complaints.

^{Community leader Thabo Soato speaks to The Citizen next to house that was swept away by water at Charlesville, Jagersfontein, 12 September 2022, after a mine dam burst killing one person and leaving some community members homeless. Picture: Nigel Sibanda}

Community leader Thabo Soato said most people were still asleep at the time. “You can just imagine someone telling you to get out of the house without grabbing anything”.

“Some of us have children, and the only thing we could grab were just the children. We had to run to a higher area … because of the fear that we could be washed away by this mud.”

Soato said one woman who was holding on to a tree had been washed away by the mud while community members were trying to help her. “They couldn’t get her off because she was caught by the wires. “Unfortunately, the people who were trying to rescue her had to give up because the mud kept on getting bigger. Fortunately, the lady is safe where she is.”

According to residents, the issue had started at 2am and workers at the mine had been trying to close the dam until it finally collapsed at around 4am.

They said they then started to wake people up at 6am as they saw that the mud was sliding over to the houses.

A tearful Keamohetswe Mahao said the only thing she managed to do after seeing the mud approaching her house was to grab her two young children.

^{A grey sludge covers roads and buildings after a mining dam burst on 11 September 2022, in Jagersfontein. Picture: Gallo Images/Volksblad/Mlungisi Louw}

Mahao said she could only watch the house and all her belongings being swept away.

“There’s nothing, not even a single standing wall, we are only left with the clothes on our backs. Everything else is destroyed.”

She said her children were traumatised by the incident. “They have been asking me where are we going to go,” said Mahoa. “I’m unemployed and we depend on the child grant.”

Mahao said despite the accommodation offered to them at the Jacob Zuma Hall in nearby Fauresmith, things were hard.

“We can’t sleep, we are sleeping on the floor, no mattress and the blankets here are just every man for himself. “I haven’t been able to sleep since yesterday because I constantly think of what happened.”

Teboho Mabula said his wife had been swept away by the mud and saved herself by holding on to a tree.

“At the hospital they gave her something to take out what she had swallowed when she was swept away,” he said.

Mabula said he managed to save a neighbour’s child, who was also being swept away by the mud. “I told myself that I would rather die trying to save the child. I managed to save the child and I made for that the child was also part of those who were taken by ambulance.”

^{A vehicle that was swept away bywater at Charlesville, Jagersfontein, 12 September 2022, after a mine dam burst killing one person and leaving some community members homeless. Picture: Nigel Sibanda}

Spokesperson for the Jagersfontein Development (Pty) Ltd mine Leigh-Ann Carey said yesterday relief operations at its tailings dam in the Free State “have made steady progress since the devastating breach [on Sunday]”.

“We can confirm one fatality and one person remains missing. “We have met with the victim’s family today and are relieved to report that the majority of the injured have been discharged from hospital,” Carey said.

“Jagersfontein Developments has made R20 million available immediately for relief operations and will monitor progress tightly within its priority of people’s safety and health; restoring the town; and returning people to their homes and livelihoods.”

Carey said Jagersfontein Developments (Pty) Ltd owned the tailings dam, which is a treatment facility for the tailings dump at Jagersfontein.

“It is not involved in any mining operations in the area. “Stargems only acquired Reinet Fund’s shareholding in Jagersfontein in April 2022,” said Carey.

“The dam went through independent engineering inspections in July 2022, during which it was found to be safe and volumes were within limits. “The organisation remains legally compliant and committed to the community in which it operates.”