Mpoi Ntaitsane, who farms with livestock, tells OFM News that she lost all of her livestock inputs, such as medicine and tools that she stored in her family’s garage, which was destroyed by the flood. 

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The news broke on Sunday 11 September 2022 that a mine dam burst in Jagersfontein, leaving the affected communities in need of desperate help.

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Photos and videos were shared on social media by the victims depicting a grey blanket of silt covering houses, grass and animals, among other belongings.

Ntaitsane was one of the farmers that were lucky to not lose her cattle or sheep, as they were on the other side of the communal land at the time the dam burst. However, fellow subsistence farmers had lost their pigs, cattle, goats and sheep.

“I live right across the mine. We saw it unfold. Every minute that went by, we saw it unfold. So, [as the mine dam burst] we got the word out and tried to evacuate everyone.

“It was devastating. It was traumatic. We could only think of our lives at the time,” shares Ntaitsane.

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The Department of Social Development immediately deployed its social workers to Jagersfontein to provide counselling to the affected residents. Disaster management teams were also deployed by the province’s premier, Sisi Ntombela.

Various organisations such as Meals on Wheels and Gift of the Givers were quick to lend a helping hand and families were also relocated.

Ramaphosa addresses the affected communities

The OFM News team, who visited Jagersfontein a day after the events transpired, reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa promised to help residents who were left homeless or destitute, to rebuild their lives.

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He addressed residents at the Fauresmith Hall and told them that different provincial departments, including Cooperative Governance (Cogta) and Social Development, will work with the National Government to address the plight of over 200 affected residents.

The president further said that there will be an extensive investigation into the incident. He requested to be provided with a full report on a weekly basis.

One farmer reported dead

One of the people who died as a result of the collapsed mine dam wall is a commonage farmer. 

According to the Department of Agriculture in the Free State, Aaron Mosoeu was found dead after he went missing during the flooding. 

MEC Thembeni Nxangisa conveyed his deepest condolences to the family of Mosoeu.

The way forward

“At the moment we’re trying to sort out our lives to see what’s next, because if we get what we need, where are we going to put it? To get that answer we still have to meet as affected farmers, as we still need to verify which farmers have been affected," said Ntaitsane.

If you would like to help the Jagersfontein community, visit Help Jagersfontein to find out how.

OFM News