Dust storms destroying shacks in Mountain View

Kefilwe Sebogodi

The climate change and the tailing mine dump cause heavy wind in our area. On the 21st of
October 2024, on the streets and nearby areas like Dobsonville, it was so dusty like it was

spring, as we all know the time for dust is August. According to our beliefs as African people,
there was a voice note in the community groups that said there were boys who took a snake at
the mountain and it was for ancestors. Those boys must take it back to the mountain so that the
dust can be finished

According to my research, seeing dust like that is because there are no pipes for water at the
tailings. And also those years in 2000 the white people used to play with their motorbikes on the
tailings as it was their racing grounds every weekend. The dust affects health issues because
many community members get asthma, eczema, itchy skin, eye problems, etc. We as
community members are sick and tired of this tailing mine dump It is about time the mining
company intervened and engaged with the community to rehabilitate the mining dump. The way
dust was so heavy it also took the shacks away and also the bricks as community stays next to
tailings dump sides.

I asked Ms Nosipho who stays at block 4 with her family about the impacts of the dust, she was
crying at the time and she responded by saying this dust affected her a lot because she’s got
asthma using inhalers the kids got eczema. Ms. Nosipho who is 35 years old with 1child also
found dust inside the yard on the paving and inside the house, it was white while she was
coming back from her piece job of washing and ironing.

She tried to clean it by sweeping using water, and wearing a mask and does so that she would
not get sick due to dust. Her actions were so emotional as she saw the shacks fall asking
herself where she was going to sleep and where she would get money as she was unemployed
to buy building materials to rebuild the shack again. She was wondering if the dust won’t come
again to destroy her shack.

I also asked Mr. Mboso about the dust and the tailing mine dump, he said the mining company
must come and rehabilitate the tailings and also hire community members to work with them as
they can’t cope with this situation. The councilor says in this situation we are the ones who did
this by stealing the pipes of water from the irrigation system that was installed there by the
tailings dump sides.

Below are the views of the community about the dust

“Yoh! siyafa yi TB I dust igcwele ezindlini
Good morning, Bahlali Nabaphathi.Kwenziweni ngalendunduma ye mine dump egcwalsa i dust
e poisonous and toxic to us .”

“Sazifaka kulenkinga sifika lapha singenazo izimpompi safika lentaba inama irrigation taps
today kufa thina n our coming generation tjoooooo siphila kabuhlungu by CllrPhumlile
I agree with you on that, there was an irrigation system,yamoshwa yithina and now we are
suffering the consequences, let’s correct our mistakes kodwa other mine dumps have security to
guard the irrigation system ours never had.”

Not easy it’s a process Mahali Mining company has to follow That mine is very hard to find as a
result Ku Taker over abanye. Let’s treat it as an urgent matter because this is a slow poison by
Mr Wandy.

Molweni nonke bahlali kune mine company ezoyisebenza but won’t be fixed today kune process
bahlali. Soon to present the report and call them thank you by Cllr Phumlile Shange

Let’s hope as the intervention between mining companies, cllrs, and community members
engagements maybe this dust of tailing mine dumps will end and community members will be employed