The Witherow Dam Quarry in Heidedal has claimed another victim despite a closure certificate issued by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).
Attie Terblanche, DA councillor in the Mangaung Metro, expressed his condolences for the family of Dustin Kukari (26).
His body was found by two men walking in the veld past the quarry in Sonneblom Street in Heidedal on Tuesday (13/06), at around 16:30. They noticed someone floating in the water. The men reported the incident at the Heidedal police station.
Kukari’s family reported him missing on 12 June. No foul play is suspected and the police is investigating the incident.
Terblanche says this is another tragedy.
“Community leader Gregory Werner has written to the Human Rights Commission, urgently appealing for their intervention to prevent any more lives from being lost.”
Terblache said the DA corresponded with the MEC and head of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) in the Free State, raising concerns about the safety of the quarry.
“According to the previous responses received from the ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), rehabilitation of the site was completed and a closure certificate was issued by the departement on 6 December 2006. This signified compliance with closure requirements at the time.”
He said it is clearly not the case given the several deaths at the quarry since then.
“These deaths have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the closure and the need for ongoing monitoring and maintenace of closed mining sites,” he said.
“Ensuring community safety must be of paramount concern for both the department and the government. The Witherow Dam Quarry poses a grave danger to the local residents, as evidenced by the series of tragic incidents that have occurred due to the hazardous conditions at the quarry.
“We urgently request that the quarry be declared a disaster area,” Terblanche urged.
“Section 55 of the Act empowers the municipality responsible for coordinating and managing the disaster to declare a local state of disaster in exceptional circumstances where existing legislation and contingency arrangements fail to effectively address the situation,” he concluded in a news release on Thursday (15/06).
