The Free State community of Jagersfontein, which has been calling for housing, has raised its demands.
The community now wants the Jagersfontein Development to create employment opportunities for them.
On Thursday, the community handed over a memorandum demanding that more community members be employed.
Those facing disciplinary action and sanctions for engaging the media on details of the disaster and negligence of the mine should return to work.
They argued that rather than Xolani Tseletsele, the mayor of Kopanong local municipality, the community should be the ones to discuss a new employment system.
The community did not explain why Tseletsele ought to be excluded from the conversation.
Memorandum of grievances
They expressed concern that a similar incident would happen again.
In order to determine whether the community was safe this time, they insisted that the mine take on board at least five members of the community.
Their requests follow the official handover of more than 100 houses to Jagersfontein residents two weeks ago by Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae.
When a diamond mine’s tailwall collapsed in September 2022 due to intense rains, the surrounding farming and infrastructure were destroyed, causing a mudslide disaster that affected the residents of Charlesville and Itumeleng.
To draw attention to the difficulties encountered since the tailings wall burst on September 11, 2022, the community, led by the Jagersfontein Multi-Stakeholder Mining Forum, marched to the mine.
“The Jagersfontein mine must contribute 100% to the development of a local economic development strategy for the community of Jagersfontein and Kopanong local municipality.
“This strategy should profile possible economic opportunities for the Jagersfontein Itumeleng community,” reads the memorandum in part.
No justice without accountability
The South African Civil Society Group, also representing the people of Jagersfontein, said in a separate statement that the community was poorer than it was before the deadly incident.
The group said there would be no justice without full accountability by those responsible for the disaster and still demanded the promised reports nearly two years since the incident.
“We were told that these reports will inform the community about what the causes of the disaster were and what the government and the corporation must do to help the community and include recommendations.
“We have not been told if the mine and tailings dams are safe, and we demand full participation of communities to ensure our safety,” reads the memorandum.
