Free State government prioritising rebuilding lives of Jagersfontein victims

The Free State government says it is on track to ensure the rebuilding of the lives of people affected by flooding in Jagersfontein last Sunday.

In an update on the steps it has taken to assist those affected, the office of the premier said the search and rescue mission for two people unaccounted for remains activated.

It said a 70-year-old man, named Mr Mosweu, was initially among those unaccounted for, but he was identified by the forensic unit as the only deceased in the tragedy.

It said Mantele Mokhali, 50, and Shadrack Williams, 70, were missing.

The province confirmed 51 houses in Charlesville and 113 in Itumeleng were swept away when the tailing mine dam wall collapsed and flooded nearby houses and roads.

After the flooding, 186 people were taken to the Sandstone Estate in Bloemfontein, 53 to the President Hotel in Bloemfontein and 17 to a guesthouse in Fauresmith, all at a cost to the mine involved. The office said 160 people are with relatives.

It said a temporary food and clothing bank remains in full operation, receiving daily donations from different sectors of society. Humanitarian organisations and social partners continue to provide hot meals and bottled water daily.

The office said the SA Social Security Agency was assisting with profiling those affected for their disaster relief grants.

“The department’s social workers remain on the ground and have been visiting victims at their respective shelters to provide psychosocial support in three stages, namely needs analysis, consultations and interventions.”

The home affairs department has been activated to assist those who lost their identity documents.

The office said plans were underway to rebuild houses that were destroyed. It said the National Home Builders Registration Council was requested to continue doing assessments of houses that were affected  so owners can submit quotations to the department for their reconstruction

The Free State agriculture and rural development department was assessing the extent of damage caused by the mudslide. A total of 164 backyard vegetable gardens were completely wiped out by the sludge that destroyed homes.

“Subsistence and smallholder farmers on commonages are without livestock as losses of 865 animals belonging to 25 farmers have been recorded to date. It is feared these figures may rise as assessments on the ground continue.”

The office said 14 smallholder and commercial farmers on 29 farms, who live along the Prosesspruit and Kromellenboogspruit rivers and who draw water from the rivers for  irrigation purposes, are left devastated as the rivers have been polluted.

“The extent of the damage to grazing land, excluding areas around rivers, is estimated at 2,615ha, while grazing destroyed on commonage land is estimated at 250ha. At this stage more than 2,000 ha will need to be rehabilitated before it can be suitable for grazing again.”

The office said access roads to farms need to be rebuilt, while some farmers have attempted to clear low water bridges to ensure easy access to farms.

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