Jagersfontein Developments, the owner of a mine waste dam on Wednesday denied that another dam wall had collapsed, contradicting a statement from the Free State provincial government.
Jagersfontein Developments in a statement said “there has been no further breach of any kind at the facility,” adding that reports about a further collapse are “unfounded and untrue”.
“After rains on Sunday and Monday, stormwater was flowing in areas where mine waste has spilled.
“Government officials were on site with the company on Tuesday to deal with flows through an adjacent dam.”
The provincial government on Tuesday said another wall of the mine dam had collapsed, adding that it was still trying to establish the extent of the water flow and that emergency crews were at the scene.
The tailings dam collapsed on Sept. 11 unleashing a flood of grey sludge that swept away houses and cars, leaving one person dead and scores injured.
The day after the collapse, South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation authorised Jagersfontein Developments to pump mine waste from a second compartment of the dam into the historic Jagersfontein diamond mine pit.
