Problem caused by the mines
Middleburg is a town that is situated in the middle of Nelspruit and Johannesburg. Middleburg has about 94 0000 population and a well known area is Mhluzi. Mhluzi was named after Mhluzi river which is known as Olifant River and both supply water to Loskop dam which is were the other communities get their water supply from including Limpopo province.
Middleburg as one of Rich town with mineral resources is encountering the escalation of the new mines that are here and and ones which intend to open. As the community in Middleburg we are faced with these mines that are polluting our air and water, cracked houses and landscape. Because we have many people who came to the area looking for employment opportunities and some of them have lost their jobs, one of the big problem is eviction as those people cant afford to pay rent. Some of the mines are closed to the residential areas approximately less than 800 metres from residential areas. Hence when the mines is blasting the blasting caused cracked to the nearby houses. The dust that comes from the blasting blows to the residential areas and this poses danger to the health of the communities. Upon inhaling dust one can catch illnesses such as T.B, Lung diseases and continual headaches. Shanduka is closest to the resident pollute water because of the dust particles that goes to the dam and that is where we get our drinking water from to drink and to graze. This water that comes from the mines when they clean the coal they use different chemicals that caused Acid mine Drainage water and from the coal storage. Lot of people around the area are becoming sick because of the water pollution and dust. Logically speaking when the blasting take place, people got shock because the blasting is done without the concern of the community to add by this blasting, most of the woman who are are pregnant get miscarriage because of the unexpected sound of blasting sound.
One of our task is to educate community about the problems and to mobilise for drastic actions against this mines who are destroying our lives and the lives of the future generations, hence we say to all community that this is a call to stop thee mines for not exploiting our resources.
