Accelor Mittal Stole my Matric

Sonti Mtambo

In the Year 2000 March Accelor Mittal bought Steelvalley because they polluted the area too much; all the people were moved away without a Doctor being assigned for checkup to see if they really were ill due to water contamination and air pollution caused by a hill which was used as dumping area.

Some of the people being moved had received a compensation of R10 000. 00 but others were never paid anything.  Parents lost their jobs as a matter of fact, many of them too old to find another job.  I was a grade 11 pupil, changing schools would be difficult.

As students we had to walk 12km to school which is from Bophelong to Steelvalley, the little money they compensated us with was finished.   Completing Matric was difficult which led to me failing my Matric due to 12km walk to school and back home, we came back home tired which meant I would not do my school work properly.