Sunday Times E-Edition

Swimmers ignore quarry dam’s dangers

By SAKHISENI NXUMALO and MFUNDO MKHIZE

● An abandoned, flooded quarry in Nseleni, northern KwaZulu-Natal, has become a popular swimming spot for local residents. But it is now under investigation by the department of mineral resources & energy and the municipality, which suspect it may be polluted and unsafe.

Hundreds of residents have flocked to the quarry in recent weeks amid soaring temperatures, despite efforts by the municipality to prevent access as it awaits the results of tests of water samples taken from the dam formerly run by Ukumba Brick and Quarry.

The uMhlathuze municipality said the drowning of Ndonda Manqele, 42, at the dam on January 19 showed it was unsafe for unsupervised swimming.

A former senior quarry employee, who asked not to be named, said the company, which started operations in 2016, had shut down after being liquidated in 2021. He said rock, sand and stone from the quarry was sold in Richards Bay, Empangeni and surrounding areas before the company closed. Efforts to contact the quarry owners were unsuccessful.

Mayor Xolani Ngwezi said officials had tried to stop crowds gathering at the dam but they refused to comply. He said after the drowning the municipality raised safety concerns and asked the department of mineral resources & energy (DMRE) to investigate.

“The challenge is that the mine was abandoned, and therefore was not closed and rehabilitated properly,” Ngwezi said.

The council, he said, is waiting for the results of biological water testing to determine what is in the water.

“Such water has risks of high faecal pollution, which may result in many diseases. Considering this was a mine, we needed to conduct chemical tests to determine the amounts of mineral and organic substances that affect water safety, and subsequently affect the skin, eyes or general health of those swimming there.”

DMRE spokesperson Makhosonke Buthelezi told the Sunday Times the department met mine officials on Tuesday to hold them accountable for rehabilitation as per the Mining Act. He said the owners were asked to take action but he would not comment further.

The dam, which is more than 50m long, is a popular spot for locals, who say it could rejuvenate the rural area.

Bongani Mngomezulu said while he sympathised with the family of the man who drowned, locals had adopted the dam as a recreational hotspot.

“You should be here every weekend so that you can witness how happy we are,” he said, urging officials not to shut it down.

Bonisiwe Mdluli, 42, said people were not fazed by the dangers posed by the dam.

“I know it’s scary. As a community, we have agreed that young children should steer clear of this site. We also want to see lifeguards,” he said.

Rico Euripidou, a campaigner at groundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa, said quarries are “extremely dangerous” to swim in. “The water is usually murky, and they have steep drop-offs from the rock mining process. Because of this, the water is usually very deep with lots of potential unseen hazards such as jagged rocks, along with other obstacles such as abandoned or dumped equipment and industrial waste, which all make swimming extremely risky. So with all of these factors combined the potential for an accident is magnified,” said Euripidou.

He said the site should be restored to its original state.

News | State Capture

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2023-01-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://times-e-editions.pressreader.com/article/281681144014651

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