A week ago hardly anybody knew about Jagersfontein, an obscure Free State town rich in diamonds with a small population of less than 5,000.

It was only on Sunday morning when SA woke up to the news of the disaster of a mine tailings dam whose walls broke, letting huge amounts of mudslide into the streets and people's yards, that many knew about this town but struggled to locate it on the map. About 20 houses were destroyed and more damaged, while hundreds of people were displaced. ..