| Africa
Jamie Kneen of MiningWatch Canada said: “It is clear that mining companies continue prioritising their bottom lines over community safety in tailings management. Governments must ensure that companies make safety the primary consideration in tailings facilities and dam design, construction, operation, closure and post-closure, and those measures must be independently verified.” The co-conveners of the Global Industry Standard
Jagersfontein diamond mine Earlier on 11 September 2022, a tailings dam
collapsed at the closed Jagersfontein diamond mine in Free State, South Africa. The tailings flowed over 8km and left a path 1.5km wide, entering several streams and rivers including the Prosesspruit, before continuing to the Kalkfontein Dam which is used for drinking water and agricultural purposes. It is reported that at least 160 homes were damaged, one person and hundreds of animals were killed, and more than 26km2
of grazing land destroyed.
According to a Reuters report, South African authorities shut down the tailings dam in 2020 due to high water levels as then-owner Reinet Investment had exceeded authorised limits. The all-clear to resume operations was given in June 2021 as water levels had dropped. Jagersfontein is described as being one of the oldest and largest hand dug diamond mines in the world. Mining began in 1870 and it remained in service until the 1970s. The town of Jagersfontein and nearby Koffiefontein are home to many retired mine workers and their families. The mine and operations were originally owned by diamond producer De Beers. Although mining had stopped, reprocessing operations were started in 2010 by Jagersfontein Development as advances in extraction technology made it possible for gems to be recovered from the old mine waste. Reinet Investments of Luxembourg became involved a year later before selling to Dubai’s Stargems Group in April 2022. Stargems Group said it wanted to expand its
presence across the diamond supply chain, and described Jagersfontein as a healthy mine production that they hoped to increase and add value to the communities it represents.
on Tailings Management (GISTM) - the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - issued a joint statement on the Jagersfontein tailings failure. They said it underscores the critical importance
of responsible tailings management and that all stakeholders – from companies to governments and investors – must urgently work to enhance the safety of tailings storage facilities across the globe. Launched in 2020, GITSM strives to achieve the ultimate goal of zero harm to people and the environment, and is described as being a step-change in terms of transparency, accountability and safeguarding the rights of people affected by mining projects. ICMM, PRI and UNEP said they are “once again calling on wider investors, companies, communities and governments to join us in advocating for the standard’s implementation by mining companies, whether public or private – across all existing and new sites, in all jurisdictions. “Simply put,” they added, “anything less than every tailings facility on earth being responsibly managed is just not good enough. While some companies including all ICMM members have committed to implementing the GISTM or equivalent standards, many other operators have yet to commit to doing so. We urge every mining company, everywhere to immediately embrace the standard as a top priority.” “Tragedies like these show how communities bear the brunt of irresponsible mine waste management,” said Hassen Lorgat of the Benchmarks Foundation. “South Africa has the largest number of upstream tailings dams worldwide, a construction method that is considered unsafe and has actually been banned in some countries. Mining companies must not be allowed to simply walk away from unstable tailings dams. This means that governments must ensure the laws and practices of corporations change to protect communities and ecosystems.” ●
Below: Jagersfontein mine photographed on 10 September 2022 before the tailings dam failure. The image taken on 4 October 2022, captured by NASA’s satellite, shows the landscape altered by a coating of tailings materials after the incident Images courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the US Geological Survey
Jagersfontein
Prosesspruit
Jagersfontein
Prosesspruit
Wolwas Dam
Wolwas Dam
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