EDITORIAL | The writing was on the dam wall!

It is hard to believe the collapse could not have been foreseen, especially considering the red flags raised two years ago

12 September 2022 - 20:30

In September 2020 the department of water and sanitation flagged risks around a tailings dam wall at the Jagersfontein Mine about 100km southwest of Bloemfontein. On Sunday, two years later, the wall collapsed, taking at least one life — probably more — and injuring at least 40 people who had to be taken to hospital. Houses, vehicles and livestock were swept away in the sludge. Scores of people were left homeless. Two elderly people were still missing on Monday evening. The town was plunged into darkness as Eskom’s access to the electrical substation in the area was cut off by the mudslide...

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