The Jagersfontein dam wall collapse in September 2022 was a devastating event that resulted in the deaths of at least three people, the destruction of homes and vehicles, and the displacement of many. The collapse of the dam wall was both preventable and foreseeable and can be traced back to the decisions made by Sonop, the mine operator, and the lack of oversight from the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), says Esias Jeremia Gerber.
Gerber, in his response to the incident, outlined many of the missteps taken by Sonop.
Professional Civil and Metallurgical engineers advised Sonop to build the slimes dam on the South-Western side of the site, below the MTD, but Sonop instead opted to build it on the Eastern side of the site, close to the R704 and facing the town, in an effort to save money. This decision was made despite the fact that it was directly in the way of the “natural waterways” and did not meet certain legal and mandatory requirements.
The Jagers project originated from three principles: Sonop Diamonds provided the equipment, Superkolong only provided the BEE component, and Reinet/Mr Johann Rupert provided the financial support. It appears that the financial component superseded the engineering component, and the structure was not built to a standard that would ensure its safety. The Wits ING report, which was based solely on satellite imagery and which was produced without visiting the site, was able to identify some of the risk factors, including slope, the direction of water flow, and accumulation of water from sources other than the mine, but failed to look at environmental impact assessments or management plans for the tailings. Without these considerations, the risk of a collapse was significantly higher.
The lack of oversight from the DMR was also a contributing factor to the disaster. The company was operating without authorization and had flagrantly disregarded its water use licence conditions. Despite this, the mine was allowed to restart, and the company and its managers were not held accountable. The Dept of Human Settlements also declared the tailings dust to be harmless, despite the fact that it contained both arsenic and silica.
The Jagersfontein dam wall collapse was a tragedy that could have been avoided. The responsibility for this lies with Sonop, who ignored the advice of their engineers and built the dam in an unsafe location, and the DMR, who failed to properly regulate the mine and hold those responsible accountable. Those affected by this disaster deserve justice and reparations, and steps must be taken to ensure that such an incident never occurs again, Gerber concludes.
This article was written by Jurno.