By JN Reporter

Five individuals are set to appear in court in connection with the 2022 Jagersfontein dam collapse, which claimed three lives, displaced dozens of residents, and caused widespread environmental devastation.

 Authorities confirmed that criminal charges have been filed following a lengthy investigation into the failure of the tailings dam, operated by Jagersfontein Developments in the Free State.

 According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli, the investigation — conducted in collaboration with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) — has resulted in criminal charges being laid against employees of an engineering company.

 “The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has instructed that the suspects appear in the Jagersfontein Magistrate’s Court on 10 September 2025. The accused — including engineering company employees, a compliance officer, and an operations manager — will face charges of murder, malicious damage to property, and contravention of the Health and Safety Act,” said Mohobeleli. 

The tailings dam collapse unleashed a torrent of toxic sludge that surged down the slopes, swallowing homes, vehicles, livestock, and everything in its path.

 Families scrambled for safety as the grey wave obliterated decades of memories and livelihoods.

 The disaster is now regarded as one of the worst mining-related environmental catastrophes in democratic South Africa. At the heart of the tragedy stood a towering tailings dam, built precariously on a slope above the densely populated black communities of Charlesville and Itumeleng — just a stone’s throw from the historic Jagersfontein pit.