Five charged with murder, including an 80-year-old, over Jagersfontein dam disaster
Five men have been served with summonses to appear in court in connection with the 2022 Jagersfontein dam wall collapse, which claimed the lives of three people and left several properties damaged.
Image: X/GovernmentZA
Five men, aged between 34 and 80, have been served with summonses to appear in court in connection with the 2022 Jagersfontein dam wall collapse, which claimed the lives of three people and left several properties damaged.
In September 2022, IOL reported that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said it is concerned about the impact of mining on the environment and on communities, as it reflected on the Jagersfontein disaster.
A mine dam collapsed on September 11, 2022, which caused flooding in the Charlesville and Itumeleng residential areas of Jagersfontein in the Free State. The collapse caused large volumes of slime to engulf and destroy the homes and properties of over 300 residents.
Following an intensive criminal investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has ordered that the five suspects appear before the Jagersgontein Magistrate’s Court on 10 September 2025.
“The suspects, who are employees of an engineering company, a compliance officer, and an operations manager, will face charges including murder, malicious damage to property, and contravention of the Health and Safety Act,” said Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli, Hawks provincial spokesperson in the Free State.
Meanwhile, acting Free State head of the Hawks, Brigadier Xolani Matroos has praised everyone involved in the criminal investigation for their hard work.
On the other hand, civil rights groups, the Jagersfontein Lerumo Justice Forum, and CSOs Tailings Working Group have commended the charging of the five suspects as a "welcome beginning" but fear that it may be a long, drawn-out process.
“The disaster exposed a dangerous legal loophole regarding the regulation of the site, which was operated by Jagersfontein Developments. This is a gap that proposed new legislation seeks to correct,” the organisations said in a joint statement.
“Scientists reported that the collapse released over six million cubic meters of toxic liquid sludge, devastating approximately 1,600 hectares of agricultural and grazing land and impacting nearly 160 homes. Contrary to initial corporate statements, our research confirms the disaster resulted in the deaths of at least five people, alongside countless injuries and widespread trauma. The environmental toll was immense, with an estimated 900 livestock killed and ecosystems destroyed.”
For three years, the civil society groups say the victims' families and the broader community have been denied truth and justice.
“Despite warnings from local activists to the Department of Water Affairs about the facility's safety, these concerns were seemingly ignored,” the two organisations added.
Among their demands, the civil society groups want an urgent joint inquest into the “unnatural deaths” of Aaron Ralehana Moseou from Jagersfontein town; Mantele Mokgadi from Charlesville who is still missing, but presumed dead; Msokoli Petrus Khuthu from Itumeleng township; Katleho Solly Olifant from Charlesville township and Shadrack Williams from Itumeleng township.
“We demand that the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) immediately convene a formal inquest in terms of the Inquests Act 58 of 1959. It is a criminal offence to fail to report a death from non-natural causes,” the civil society groups stated.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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