THE MINE DUMP CONTINUES TO IMPACT THE COMMUNITY WITH DUST

Mosimanegape Meno

Snake Park is a place that is located in Gauteng, Soweto. It has been badly impacted by the dust which comes from mine dumps. Snake-park has many informal farmers who arm livestock like pigs, goats, and sheep. These animals live close to the tailing mine dump, and they are sick most of the time because of the toxic dust from the tailing which contains chemicals like uranium, copper, and arsenic. Farmers are struggling because their animals die and they cannot get compensated.

This year around March they were affected by heavy rains, and they lasted more than a week. This was not good for the farmers in Snake Park because their animals didn’t have proper shelter and lived in shady conditions. Many pigs died because of the cold, and this was a great loss for the farmers. three farmers were affected and in total, they lost 78 pigs.  The names of the affected farmers are Mr. Joseph Nkuna, Tsepo Moeketsi, and Baba Mathonsi. The farmers are stranded because now they don’t who will compensate their animals. After all, the owners of the tailing mine dump ‘MINTAILS Limited’’ are now liquidated.

The dust from the mine dump is very strong during the autumn season, this impacts the people who are in Snake Park by getting illness due to the heavy dust and the level of the dust is too much because of Mine Dump is not protected with the fencing, hazardous signs, because the dust comes with too many illnesses to the society.