On Friday, 14 January 2022, an impassioned plea was sent to Siyabonga Buthelezi, Scientific Manager at the Department of Water & Sanitation Affairs to intervene and compel ZAC to provide emergency drinking water to the Jahidada community. The community is downstream from ZAC and is dependent on the Black Mfolozi River for drinking water.
At a meeting with ZAC on 7 January 2022, the mine promised to deliver water to the Jahidada community between 10-14 January 2022. This was not done.
Since ZAC contaminated the river with its toxic flood of water and slurry from a burst pollution control dam on 24 December 2021, the community have had no option but to continue drinking from the poisonous Mfolozi River. There are reports of some Jahidada residents not feeling well and many are very worried about the water they are forced to drink because they have no alternative.
On 6 January 2022, when the community heard for the first time about the contamination, concerned members wrote a letter requesting an urgent meeting on 7 January with ZAC to ask the mine to provide the community with clean drinking water. Community members were unhappy about ZAC’s omission to put up notices to warn them about the dangers of drinking the water as well as the mine’s failure to provide alternative drinking water during the clean-up and rehabilitation of the river. Safety Management regulations require that the Material Data Sheet of the spilled chemical or slurry must be accessible to everyone who could be possibly affected or has consumed the dangerous chemicals. This was not done for the Jahidada residents.
It is irresponsible and inhumane that ZAC, the Water Use Licence Holder, contaminated the river that is the only source of water for the whole Jahidada village, and has not been forced to provide urgent alternative drinking water to the village. The cleaning process should run concurrently with ensuring that health, well-being and livelihoods in Jahidada village are sustained.
The appeal ended with a call to protect human lives and affirm the democratic values of dignity, equality, and freedom guaranteed by The Constitution.
