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Tue, Oct 21, 2025

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Jagersfontein Disaster Victims Reject New Houses

Jagersfontein mudslide victim Seisa Pakisa fears his newly built house could collapse on him. Picture: Baagedi Setlhora
Jagersfontein mudslide victim Seisa Pakisa fears his newly built house could collapse on him. Picture: Baagedi Setlhora

Recipients claim new structures are dilapidating despite being recently built\

By: Matshidiso Selebeleng

New house beneficiaries in the small Free State mining town of Jagersfontein claim that the structures built for them after the 2022 mine wall collapse disaster are not fit for occupation. The recipients claim the new structures are too small and have been poorly constructed. Some of the pain-points raised by them include weak window frames, flawed electricity connections, while f lagging the emergence of visible cracks on the walls as some of the major safety concerns. Joyce Tsotetsi, whose house was wiped away by the mudslide, expressed her dissatisfaction after moving into one of the new houses “These houses are small, and some of us are cramped in there with our furniture. My previous house was not big, but it was spacious and safe. I am not happy at all, and they must come back and fix these houses,” Tsotet si told Journal News. “My children even had to put burglars on my win dows because I live alone with young children,” she said. Tseko Ntelele echoed Tsotetsi’s sentiments, highlight ing faulty electricity connections as his major point of contention. “I use candles because the new houses don’t have a proper electricity connection. I (also) take medica t ion every day, and always have to make fire to cook, because the electricity breaker they put for me is not working.” Another disgruntled house recipient, Thabo Mosala, told Journal News that he feels the houses were hastily constructed without any prior proper planning. He also claims the house he moved into was not fully complet ed. “We don’t feel safe living with our children in these houses because any day now they will fall on us. I even had to move my younger children,” who further claimed his house was not fully completed. The mine collapse incident is regarded as one of the worst mining-related environmental disasters in demo cratic South Africa. Around six million cubic meters of contaminated waste was released into the community creating a cata strophic mudslide. Hundreds of homes were destroyed; f ive people lost their lives, while over 300 people were injured as a result. According to the Kopanong Local Municipality all protocols were apparently followed to ensure that all the victims receive decent homes. Solly Phama, the municipality’s spokesperson, has attempted to allay the recipients’ fears, stating that a competent housing inspector was appointed to guaran Ditsobotla on the Road to Renewal Ending months of chaos that saw two mayors, two speakers, and two municipal managers claiming office simultaneously, the council has re-elected ANC’s Morutse as mayor and the EFF’s Bogatsu as speaker tee compliance during the rebuilding process. This is despite the National Home Builders Regulatory Board (NHBRC) not coming on board to approve the structures. “The municipality tried to involve NHBRC during the rebuilding process. However, residents were left with no choice but to return to their homes as they remained displaced, we are in interaction with the Mine to ensure that corrections are made,” Phama told Journal News. He revealed that the municipality is pursuing legal charges for infrastructure damaged by the mudslide and is in solidarity with the community, working in collabo ration with sector departments to ensure compliance. The company responsible for the mine committed R150 million as compensation to the victims. The victims were also given money to buy new household furniture to replace items lost in the mudslide. “I received a once-off payment of R35 000, and they said they will give us another one in two years. What am I going to do with that little money, since I had a lot of furniture that was in good condition?” questioned Mosala. “I told them that instead of them giving me the mon ey, I can give them the receipts for my furniture, and they will buy it themselves because that money is too little, it’s not even half of what my furniture was worth,” he concluded.

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