Zuko Komisa
- A technical report confirms the Jagersfontein dam collapse was caused by a weak foundation, which may have been known to the owner, Jagersfontein Development, since 2019.
- The dam’s failure in 2022 released 5.9 million m³ of tailings, causing extensive infrastructural damage and resulting in two confirmed deaths and one person missing.
- Despite attempts to stabilise the weak southern wall, the company continued raising the dam and depositing tailings, potentially aware of the significant instability risk.
A technical investigation has concluded that the 2022 collapse of the Jagersfontein Fine Tailings Storage Facility, which resulted in two fatalities and widespread destruction, was caused by the dam being built on a weak foundation.
The report, commissioned by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and compiled by researchers from the Universities of Pretoria and the Witwatersrand, was recently presented to the local community.
The investigation makes the serious finding that the facility’s owner, Jagersfontein Development, may have been aware of the storage facility’s instability along the southern wall as early as 2019.
At that time, the company attempted to stabilise the slope by adding large volumes of material, which proved ineffective. Despite this knowledge, the company reportedly continued to raise the dam wall and deposit more tailings.
In September 2022, a section of the dam wall failed, releasing approximately 5.9 million m³ of fine tailings downstream.
This caused extensive damage to infrastructure, including power lines, substations, and houses, polluted the environment, and tragically led to the deaths of two people, with a third person still missing and presumed deceased.
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