President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Monday, 12 September 2022, visit the Jagersfontein-Charlesville
area in the Free State where a mudslide has claimed lives and destroyed homes.
Flooding caused by the collapse of a mine dam wall in South Africa’s Free State province has swept
away houses and cars, killing one and injuring 40 others.
On Sunday, a river of mud and water flowed away from the abandoned diamond mine and into a
nearby residential area, according to television footage.
It swept away houses and covered roads in Jagersfontein, a town about 100 kilometers (62 miles)
southwest of the Free State province capital Bloemfontein.
The disaster occurred in the diamond mining town of Jagersfontein, forcing officials to evacuate
scores of residents to nearby farms.
Four persons have been reported missing while 23 patients have been treated for hypothermia and
four for broken legs. Search and rescue operations at the scene were ongoing, with people in
affected areas being evacuated to nearby farms, authorities said.
Both Vodacom and MTN have reported damanges to transmission infrastructure, whilst ESKOM has
also reported tramission collapse as they were unable to access their base stations.
According to the government, the mine was once owned by diamond mining giant De Beers and was
acquired by Superkolong Consortium in 2010.
According to the Minerals Council South Africa industry group, the mine, which is no longer owned
by any of its members, was closed in the 1970s.
