The family of 15-year-old Siboniso Hleza, who sustained third-degree burn wounds after slipping into a sinkhole with burning coal seven months ago are still struggling to get answers about the mining company which owns the land.
Siboniso from Phola in Ogies, Mpumalanga, was part of a group of teenagers who were hunting rabbits at an open field when he got injured, and because of the temporary paralysis he suffered from he hasn’t been able to attend school.
The incident happened a kilometre away from Seriti Mine’s operation in Phola Township, which has many abandoned mines.
“The ground I was standing on flipped and created a sinkhole. I fell straight into the burning coal and got trapped. I burnt my hands and legs as I was trying to get out of the hole. My friends ran away but I managed to get out. As I was staggering towards the nearby road I fell and a motorist spotted me and took me to the clinic,” said the grade 8 pupil.
His mother Gcibela Hleza wants answers from the mines that are operating near the area. With the assistance of the Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) branch co-ordinator Bongani Nkosi, Hleza approached Glencore and Seriti mines to find out who owns the land where the incident took place, but both companies denied ownership of the property.
“I want the owner of the land to be held responsible for the damages caused. My son has been in pain for almost a year now. I believe that the mines damaged the ground and failed to rehabilitate it,” Hleza explains.
Macua branch co-ordinator Nkosi said the matter was brought to their attention.
“Our lawyers were working on the matter. We took the coordinates of the area where the incident happened and these were sent the to the department of mineral resources and energy (DMRE). They said the land belonged to Glencore. We are in the process of engaging Glencore concerning the matter.”
When contacted for comment about the ownership of the land, the department said: “The coordinates are plotting over mining rights of Duiker Mining (Glencore Operations SA).”
Glencore’s head of communication Shivani Chetram refused to comment on the ground that “we do not want to go on record with a statement until we have confirmed the exact location of the incident”.
Hleza said Seriti Mine had been paying for her son’s medical bill since January and assisted her son with physiotherapy to help him learn to walk again.
Seriti spokesperson Linda Khuluse said they were assisting because they cared for the communities they operated in.
She said their investigation revealed that the incident happened away from their operations, meaning they could not be held accountable. She said their investigations revealed that whoever owned the area should have rehabilitated it.
In 2018, residents of Phola took to the street to forcefully shut down a mine after accusing it of endangering their lives as it was operating in close proximity to the community.
Recently, the community accused the mines of damaging their houses and graves when conducting their mining activities.
According to Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s recent report there were 6,100 abandoned mines and 1,170 mine openings countrywide. In her report, Maluleke urged the DMRE to speed up its management of rehabilitating SA’s abandoned mines, as they pose serious health, safety, and environmental hazards for nearby communities.
Family of badly burnt teen 'wants answers'
I want land owner held responsible for damages - mom
Image: Supplied
The family of 15-year-old Siboniso Hleza, who sustained third-degree burn wounds after slipping into a sinkhole with burning coal seven months ago are still struggling to get answers about the mining company which owns the land.
Siboniso from Phola in Ogies, Mpumalanga, was part of a group of teenagers who were hunting rabbits at an open field when he got injured, and because of the temporary paralysis he suffered from he hasn’t been able to attend school.
The incident happened a kilometre away from Seriti Mine’s operation in Phola Township, which has many abandoned mines.
“The ground I was standing on flipped and created a sinkhole. I fell straight into the burning coal and got trapped. I burnt my hands and legs as I was trying to get out of the hole. My friends ran away but I managed to get out. As I was staggering towards the nearby road I fell and a motorist spotted me and took me to the clinic,” said the grade 8 pupil.
His mother Gcibela Hleza wants answers from the mines that are operating near the area. With the assistance of the Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) branch co-ordinator Bongani Nkosi, Hleza approached Glencore and Seriti mines to find out who owns the land where the incident took place, but both companies denied ownership of the property.
“I want the owner of the land to be held responsible for the damages caused. My son has been in pain for almost a year now. I believe that the mines damaged the ground and failed to rehabilitate it,” Hleza explains.
Macua branch co-ordinator Nkosi said the matter was brought to their attention.
“Our lawyers were working on the matter. We took the coordinates of the area where the incident happened and these were sent the to the department of mineral resources and energy (DMRE). They said the land belonged to Glencore. We are in the process of engaging Glencore concerning the matter.”
When contacted for comment about the ownership of the land, the department said: “The coordinates are plotting over mining rights of Duiker Mining (Glencore Operations SA).”
Glencore’s head of communication Shivani Chetram refused to comment on the ground that “we do not want to go on record with a statement until we have confirmed the exact location of the incident”.
Hleza said Seriti Mine had been paying for her son’s medical bill since January and assisted her son with physiotherapy to help him learn to walk again.
Seriti spokesperson Linda Khuluse said they were assisting because they cared for the communities they operated in.
She said their investigation revealed that the incident happened away from their operations, meaning they could not be held accountable. She said their investigations revealed that whoever owned the area should have rehabilitated it.
In 2018, residents of Phola took to the street to forcefully shut down a mine after accusing it of endangering their lives as it was operating in close proximity to the community.
Recently, the community accused the mines of damaging their houses and graves when conducting their mining activities.
According to Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s recent report there were 6,100 abandoned mines and 1,170 mine openings countrywide. In her report, Maluleke urged the DMRE to speed up its management of rehabilitating SA’s abandoned mines, as they pose serious health, safety, and environmental hazards for nearby communities.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos