TAILING DUST HAS CAUSED RESIDENTS TO HAVE ASTHM
Nobulawo Sitshaluza
Onkgolotse Mthembu is a forty- nine year old mother of three boys, she resides in Snake Park. Her mother and her last born suffer from asthma disease called chronic illness.
When it rains during the summer months, they are forced to stay indoors because the rain affects them. It’s even worse during the windy and dusty months because the her breathing is also affected as well and she struggles to breath. She also can’t walk quickly and the smell of fragrances or cigarette smoke affects her breathing, as well as spicy food.
Her mother is a seventy seven(77) year old pensioner who attends training with other elderly ladies at Phuthaditshaba under Mr Lekgetho. They have gatherings there with other older women and they receive food parcels. She days these exercises help her with her breathing problems because she doesn’t have asthmatic attacks as frequently as she did before.
Karabo is a ten year old boy, he says most of the time when it’s dusty his mother has to ensure that he wears a mask. But when the dust is too much, he unfortunately has not attend school. The inhaling of the dust affects his breathing and his mother has to constantly call him to come inside the house. This is especially when it’s too dusty because he loves playing soccer with his friends. This is denying him his right of playing as part of his development as a child.
Onkgolotse says:”that Karabo was born with asthma, but she and her mother got asthma when they began to live here in Snake Park”. She worries more about her family’s health than herself.
She hopes that one day something will be done about the tailing dam
dust.