Mahlobo says Jagersfontein mine water license will be suspended

Water and sanitation deputy minister David Mahlobo says government plans to suspend the water license of a mining company whose dam walls collapsed and caused the mudslide disaster in Jagersfontein in the Free State.

Mahlobo said the state will also consider approaching the police and National Prosecuting Authority to ensure that the mining company Jagersfontein Development faces the full might of the law for the disaster and ignoring government directives from 2020 that they stop operating due to issues of non-compliance.

Mahlobo was speaking to eNCA on Tuesday evening on government’s plans to ensure that the company is held accountable for the disaster which claimed the life of one person and injured many others.

''After the incident happened, we were tasked to ensure that the incident does not happen again. There are two tailings dams there. The one that burst was carrying two million cubic metres per annum.

''Our engineers did an assessment yesterday and discovered that the other dam had a cracked wall and there was potential of a further break down.

''We issued a directive that the mine must stop disposing water into other remaining compartments. We are happy to report that the mine has cooperated and stopped pumping water into those compartments,’’ said Mahlobo.

He said when the department engaged the company in 2021 and 2022, they produced another report commissioned by Jagersfontein mine's own experts which found that the tailing is safe to be used and the structure is stable.

''Since they have given us a false report, as part of our investigation, our intention is to suspend their water use license but we are not going to suspend it irresponsibly because there are those residual issues they must deal with, but ultimately we will approach the law enforcement agencies using the provisions in our law that they take full responsibility including prosecution because they never implemented the remedial actions.