Toxic tour at the livestock farmers and tailing mine dumps

Tshidi Sebogodi

Tailing mine dump and livestock farmers situated at the outskirts of the Snakepark and
Braamfisherville where DRD left the place after they stopped operating on the side and
started to dump on it. The mining company came to tailings and put the posters and signs
showing that the place was a no-go area and dangerous.

On the 14th of November 2024, we as Bambanani Co-operative will have a toxic tour with
human rights and the Centre of Environmental Rights (CER)to come and have a look or
survey about our place as Thoko was showing videos at the workshop held at Joburg
We went to the area called Sebayeng where we found couples aged group 35 -45 years with
their son who are taking care of their livestock farming left by their father. Sfiso son of the
late mr Michael who took over says animals are dying because of tailing dust and
contaminated soil and water as the were pigs and piglets we can see the skin was not good
even their bodies were showing malnutrition. The is no living in the area as everything is
contaminated and he said SPCA doesn’t bother to come to inject their livestock. Couples say
if they can get help from different departments they will be happy. They try to have livestock
because they love agriculture and animals.

We proceeded to the tailing dump sides to show activists and CER what they saw on the
video arriving at the place we found the TLB trucks busy working at the tailing mine dump.
They also cut the windbreakers as we can see on the other side of Braamfisherville but
before they cut it even the dust was better than now after cutting the trees. We as
community members were surprised to find trucks working at the tailing without calling any
meetings with us as a community to inform us about their remining or rehabilitating.
I met Mr Ngwenya age 55 years I asked him as a community member about what happening
at the tailing he said he didn’t know anything since he stayed in the area in 1991. He said he
always saw the security cars escorting the place but they didn’t say anything to the
community members. The security company cars just make sure that tourists and
community members don’t trespass on mine-tailing dump sites. The TLB truck driver didn’t
want to speak to us as he was busy with the soil demolishing it by doing what no
explanation.

If the mining company Pan African can come to the community every month or fortnight to
engage with us as community members to update us about their progress on tailings.