CSOs 4 Tailings Justice

Subtitle: Developing Strategies for Monitoring, Advocacy, and Action 

Hassen Lorgat:  (CSO’s Tailings Working Group. https://csos4tailingsjustice.org/about/)

This workshop marks the finalization of our pilot project aimed at building community awareness and power regarding tailings and mine waste. It excludes for instance our work around advocacy for timeous and inclusive inquiries when disasters take place and general advocacy with chapter 9 organisations in particular the SAHRC to advance knowledge about safety and security for communities living near mine waste and tailings  dams facilities in particular. We commit never to become exhausted in pointing out the devastation of human and animal life and the wider ecology including livelihoods when these dams fail. They fail not only the business but us all.

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SABC News: The final report into the September in the Free State, reveals that the mining company was negligent and non-compliant. Satellite images show the wall had been shifting for years before it finally gave way on 11 September, unleashing over five million cubic metres of sludge. Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo says the report was compiled by experts from the University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand over three years. He believes it strengthens government’s case in the criminal proceedings related to the disaster. Mahlobo briefed the community and the media on the findings and actions taken since the incident.

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 14 November 2025

1. Cabinet Briefing and the Withheld Report

At a recent Cabinet meeting (15 October), ministers were briefed on the technical investigation into the Jagersfontein Tailings Storage Facility failure and received a report on the case. It was announced that the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms. Pemmy Majodina, would release this report to the public.

While this commitment is welcome, we are deeply concerned that almost a month after the meeting, the report remains unreleased. The CSOs Tailings Working Group fears that this delay will only foster pessimism and erode public trust in the justice system.

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Northern Miner, November 7, 2025

A new report finds 33% of mines around the world operated by two dozen leading companies don’t fully meet industry standards for tailings management. Yet two-thirds of 836 facilities are in full compliance with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, the London-based International Council on Mining and Metals says in  the report.

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E.    Updates to cabinet 

1.    Jagersfontein Tailing Storage Facility Failure Investigation Report

1.1.    Cabinet was briefed about the findings of the technical investigation into the Jargesfontein Tailing Storage Facility failure which caused severe devastation to the town of Jagersfontein in the Free State. The Minister of Water and Sanitation Ms Pemmy Majodina will release the report to the public. 
1.2.    Cabinet is pleased that criminal proceedings have commenced with the accused having appeared in the Jagersfointein Magistrate’s court on 11 September 2025.

At the national inquiry into the policy framework around artisanal mining, the impact of. Artisanal mining on the human rights of surrounding communities and the scope and tactics employed in the operation Vala Umgodi. Dates: 1, 2 and 3 October 2025

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