A tailings dam wall at the mine collapsed on Thursday, 13 August, releasing almost all the stored mining sludge across a large area, including the nearby Eland Mine.
A government delegation, led by Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe and Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo, inspected the disaster area from the air on Monday morning to assess the extent of the damage and its impact on the surrounding environment.
“This is a disaster, but we are lucky that there were no fatalities,” said Mantashe. “Samancor lowered their guard. They should have been more proactive in terms of prevention.”
DWS Deputy Minister Mahlobo said the department appreciated the mine owners’ swift reaction and that they had alerted the authorities.
“The Ministry dispersed the chief inspector of mines and specialists to do an immediate quick assessment, after which statutory directives were issued.”
He said the most important aspect was taking the necessary samples to see if there was any impact on the environment and water systems in the area in terms of hazardous materials and toxins.
“Fortunately, because of the mine’s location, the slime has been contained. We have agreed that a formal investigation is to be done to look at the magnitude of the spillage and whether remaining storage facilities have the capacity to accommodate additional slime,” he said.
“On face value there are areas of concern, but they have to be confirmed by an approved professional person appointed by the mine at their own cost to ensure that the structural integrity of this system is actually maintained.”
He said the government is actively looking at tailings facilities.
“They must all be registered with DWS because they do contain water. I am very pleased that there is no river, only a wetland, but we still want more information whether there is an impact on groundwater or not.”
He emphasised that the next important stage was the rehabilitation of the area. “This must happen. The mine has taken full responsibility and that is what we expect.”
Mantashe said that the chief inspector will issue directives that are necessary for the mine to correct the situation. “It must be corrected. That is the most important thing and we must work together to do that.”
Samancor Chief Operating Officer Desmond McManus told the delegation that the mine is committed to the clean-up and rehabilitation process.
“The tailings run-out is operated by a third party. We take full responsibility for the clean-up work, the investigation and the rehabilitation. We are committed to make sure that an incident like this never happens again. We have made an assessment already and are busy with the costs in terms of rehabilitation and repair of infrastructure,” he said.
The spillage also damaged Eskom infrastructure and left large parts of Brits and surrounding areas without electricity.
“We are already busy repairing some of the electrical structures in the area and also the access roads to the neighbouring mines. We will do this as soon as possible to prevent any further contamination and damage.”
McManus said electricity should be restored by Friday.
Regarding concerns about hazardous materials in the sludge, such as Chrome 6 and others, McManus said Samancor would enlist the services of an independent professional to assess all the slime dams.
Samancor said in a statement that the tailings storage facility is operated by a contractor, One Chrome, and is utilised by One Chrome’s Inyoni Platinum PGM recovery plant.
“We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities. Dikwena Chrome remains committed to protecting the health and safety of people and the environment. Clean-up and repair operations have commenced and further appropriate measures will be implemented once the investigation is complete.”
