On 11 September 2022, residents of Jagersfontein experienced a traumatic incident which left more than 200 people homeless, two were discovered dead, and one woman is still missing. 

Communications Manager for the Department of Water and Sanitation in the Free State, Larry Crisp, explains that Mahlobo, together with other officials from the DWS, took a decision to implement administrative enforcement measures and issued a directive, dated 12 September 2022, in terms of Section 20 of the National Water Act (NWA), 1998 (Act No. 36 of 1998). 

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He says the directive pertains to the release of the silt that polluted or has a potential to pollute or have a detrimental effect on water resources and contains the required actions that the responsible person had to undertake to remedy the effects of the incident. Crisp states that on Friday 4 November 2022, Mahlobo will be at the Jagersfontein Police Station at about 10:45 to open a criminal case against the mine for contravening the NWA.

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The mine said it had availed R20 million to the affected residents and the town as a form of relief.

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The spokesperson for the Free State Premier, Palesa Chubisi, said the current official position is that the company has been given various directives by both DWS and Environmental Affairs to conduct remedial work on the dam wall and rehabilitate the affected environment. She said the directive also included cessation of operations until directed otherwise.

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The Kopanong municipal spokesperson, Solomzi Phama, recently confirmed that bilateral talks began between the municipality and the Free State Provincial Government regarding the possibility to pave the way for the municipality to sue the mine.

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