The department of water & sanitation (DWS) says it is pleased that three years after the Jagersfontein dam wall collapse in which two people died, one is still missing and hundreds were displaced, those accused of causing the disaster are finally set to face justice.
Mantele Louisa Mokhali, 50, was last seen just before the dam collapse that left the town covered in mud and has been missing since.
Five men, aged between 34 and 80, have been served with summonses to appear in court next week in connection with the 2022 tragedy.
The accused include employees of an engineering company, among them an operations manager and a compliance officer.
They will face charges of murder, malicious damage to property, and contravention of the Health and Safety Act.
DWS spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said the collapse was caused by the release of processed mine tailings – waste materials left after valuable minerals are extracted during mining.
A criminal case docket was finalised and referred to the National Prosecuting Authority in Bloemfontein, which has decided to prosecute.
— DWS spokesperson Wisane Mavasa
She said that resulted in extensive destruction to houses, roads, and other infrastructure “while large areas of natural and agricultural land, as well as surrounding watercourses, were covered in waste materia”.
Mavasa added that the DWS dam safety regulation directorate conducted an extensive technical study into the cause of the failure, which included site visits and expert evaluations by specialist civil engineers, including geotechnical and hydraulic engineers from the University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand.
“In parallel, the environmental management inspectorates from both the DFFE and DWS conducted a joint investigation into the incident. A criminal case docket was finalised and referred to the National Prosecuting Authority in Bloemfontein, which has decided to prosecute,” she said.
Mavasa said government remains committed to holding those responsible for the tragedy accountable, while continuing to support the long-term rehabilitation of the community and environment affected by the disaster.
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