Snake Park children swim in toxic tailing dam due to lack of recreational facilities

Community Alerts/Thokozile Mntambo/Soweto-Gauteng/10/02/18

This morning at 9am at Snake Park tailing dam, I found children from of 9 to 10 years of age swimming in the tailing dam. These are evaporation ponds, they consist of heavy metals like Led, Copper, Iron and uranium.

When I asked them why are they swimming in this dirty water, I was told that they are bored and there are no parks and swimming pools in Snake Park. The only place where they can enjoy themselves is the tailing dam. The poor children are not aware of the dangers they are putting their health. Besides they could also die cause this evaporation pond can also swallow them.

Around 12pm in the afternoon other kids came and joined the others. When I came back with Miss Tiny Dhlamini, Mr Charles from Riverlea, David Van Wyk and the team from Church of Councils. We found that the kids were now large in number, some ran away when they saw us coming.

The water was then tested by Mr Van Wyk, it was found to be highly acidic. It was 1;2 PH. Normal water is usually 6;5ph.

Snake park is a very poor community that is very ignorant, one warns or guards the kids. A boy died here in the very same tailing dam, his body was not found even today. How many more children will this silence killer swallow? Nobody knows. By Thokozile Mntambo