Just over the weekend, the Jagersfontein mine dam collapsed, sweeping almost everything in its path, leaving residents graining in agony and counting their losses. Now the owners of the dam have spoken out about the tragedy
Jagersfontein Developments, a unit within Stargems Group, a Dubai-based diamond merchant, owned the collapsed dam, which was formerly owned by De Beers Plc.
Before the acquisition, according to the current owners, speaking via email through an external spokesperson, due diligence was conducted, which shows that the dam was actually safe. So the disaster took everyone by surprise.
That notwithstanding, the external spokesperson also noted that a sum of R20 million would be disbursed to assist the community.
The disaster has been described by some residents of the Free State as one of the worst in recent memories. Three persons had reportedly perished from the collapsed dam, which led to severe flooding. Also, several people were injured, while a few others were declared missing. The power supply in the area was also affected.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was briefed about the disaster and made it a point to visit on Monday.
This isn’t the first incident of a collapsed dam in Africa, nor is it the most disastrous.
