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IOL News
19 hours ago
- Health
- IOL News
South Africa's gold mining past poisons Soweto community, residents say
Contaminated water leached from a mine dump sits in an open-air basin shaped by mine tailings in front of a residential homes in Snake Park, Soweto Image: EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP Soweto's children call it the "yellow mountain": for decades, a gold mine dump that towers over the Snake Park neighbourhood of South Africa's largest township has been polluting the area and poisoning communities. The yellow dust that blows off it stings the throat. Studies have found it contains traces of toxic substances such as arsenic, lead and uranium -- a legacy of the 1880s gold rush that founded Johannesburg and Soweto. The local Snake Park Cerebral Palsy Forum has since 2017 documented at least 15 cases of children born with the condition. Many more have deformations and disabilities, it says. Okuhle, 13, has cerebral palsy and was abandoned in the street as a baby. Sitting in a wheelchair next to her foster mother on a recent afternoon, the cheerful girl communicated with squeals. 'She can't walk, she can't speak... she can't use her arms well,' said Lilly Stebbe, 60, who also blames the mine for the child's asthma, eye and sinus problems. Toxic pollution Stebbe herself struggled with a constant cough and irritated eyes. The dust went everywhere, she said. "When you breathe that dust, it can give you all kinds of cancer," said David van Wyk, lead researcher at the Bench Mark Foundation, a watchdog of local business practices. "It can also mix your DNA codes and your children will be born with all kinds of deformities," he said. "We find lots of ... physically challenged children in this community." There are more than 6,000 abandoned mines across South Africa, according to the auditor-general. At least 2,322 are considered high-risk for the adjacent communities. Van Wyk said between 15 and 20 million South Africans live near such toxic pollution. About 50,000 are in the small houses of Snake Park and more in shacks at the foot of the mine in an informal settlement called Mountain View. Every month, van Wyk carries out tests on the dump, a vast expanse of powdery soil with a reddish stream through it, as part of a joint study with the University of Johannesburg. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Ten years The two-year study aims to measure and identify solids dissolved in the water. On one day, the testing device detected a concentration of 776 mgs of solids per litre. This made the water unfit for drinking, said van Wyk. More importantly, the water "contains uranium and strontium, which are both radioactive," he said. The NGO has detected "a whole range of very toxic substances" from copper to arsenic and lead in the stream, he said. It flows into nearby maize fields and surrounding pastures. Residents say some goats were born three-legged. Local company Pan African Resources said it bought the mine in 2022 after the previous owner was liquidated without rehabilitating the site. The pollution had been seeping out of the tailings for at least 50 years, the company told AFP. "Give us maximum 10 years, we'll remove it completely," said community relations manager Sonwabo Modimoeng. "We know that this affects people," he told AFP, adding the company had told people not to approach the area. It has also installed warning signs. But these measures were insufficient for Thokozile Mntambo, who leads Bambanani, an NGO advocating for the rehabilitation of the area. "The dump needs to be taken off right now, not after 10 years," she said. "Every day, the dust contaminates people." Community support Baile Bantseke, 59, lives a few hundred metres from the dump with her grandson Mphoentle. The five-year-old has been diagnosed with autism, which Bantseke blames on the "mountain". Multiple studies, including one published in 2024 in the journal Environmental Health, have established links between autism and exposure to environmental pollutants like heavy metals. "I blame our government. If they were looking after us, we would not be having such issues," Bantseke said. Families with disabled children receive a monthly grant of 2,310 rands ($130), barely enough to afford food, clothes and diapers. It does not cover transport to a hospital 15 kilometres away where the children should get treatment. "We don't have wheelchairs, we don't have pickup trucks," said Kefilwe Sebogodi, who founded the Snake Park Cerebral Palsy Forum and is raising a disabled niece. In the run-down community hall, she welcomed a dozen mothers, grandmothers and caregivers joining the Forum's support group. Their monthly meetings showed that "the children matter in this community", Sebogodi said. "We are still standing." AFP
The South African
2 days ago
- Climate
- The South African
National state of disaster declared in South Africa
An emergency worker searches for bodies in a pond after deadly floods in South Africa's Eastern Cape province. Image: EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has declared a national disaster in South Africa following weeks of devastating weather that has battered several provinces. ADVERTISEMENT Elias Sithole, head of the National Disaster Management Centre, said the scale and severity of the adverse conditions – marked by snowfall, heavy rain, floods and damaging winds – warranted a coordinated national response. When South Africans connect, we don't just network; we build a community. The Lekker Network is a professional network where every conversation starts with, 'How can I help you?' Come join us & be a part of a community of extraordinary Saffas. 'In terms of Section 23(1)(b) of the Disaster Management Act, I classified the impact caused by this severe weather system in the provinces listed above as a National Disaster,' said Sithole. The worst-affected areas include the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, where severe flooding, loss of life, and large-scale damage to infrastructure and property have been reported. ADVERTISEMENT Heavy toll on lives and infrastructure The Eastern Cape has suffered the most, with at least 90 lives lost and more than 2 600 residents left homeless. In KwaZulu-Natal, 58 homes were destroyed and 137 others partially damaged, impacting over 960 people. Government buildings, roads, hospitals and schools have also sustained significant damage. The declaration allows the national government to deploy broader resources, including the South African Police Service (SAPS) and South African National Defence Force (SANDF), to support relief and recovery efforts. The state of disaster will remain in effect until lifted by the authorities. A pattern of recurring disasters President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the growing frequency of such disasters, warning that these severe weather events are becoming South Africa's 'new reality.' KwaZulu-Natal, in particular, has suffered repeated devastation in recent years – most notably the April 2022 floods, which killed over 400 people and caused R17 billion in damages. The trend continued into 2024 with another R3 billion in flood damages, followed by snowstorms, and has worsened again in 2025. Criminal exploitation As flood-hit communities struggle to rebuild, there have also been disturbing reports of criminal activity targeting victims and aid providers. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu revealed that a so-called 'water mafia' has intimidated relief workers attempting to deliver clean drinking water. There have also been reports of theft from the homes of deceased flood victims, prompting police to step in to protect vulnerable households. 'The SAPS has been deployed to ensure the safety of property and prevent further trauma to grieving families,' said Mchunu. The national disaster classification paves the way for a more robust, coordinated response to both the humanitarian crisis and the growing security threats in its wake. Fair decision to declare a national state of disaster in South Africa? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
16-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
Hope and high-fives in Alexandra as elite school changes lives
Students engage with each other during an activity at the Kgololo Academy in Alexandra, near Johannesburg, on May 8, 2025. The Kgololo Academy is an elite school in the destitute township of Alexandra. Here, classes are small, teachers enthusiastic, and every child is known by name, a learning environment miles away from the under resourced local state school marred with discipline issues and overcrowding. Waahida Tolbert-Mbatha co-founded the school ten years ago with her husband Thulani Mbatha, a native of the poverty-stricken township which borders the rich neighbourhood of Sandton, known as Africa's richest square mile. Image: EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP Banele Phaladi wolfed down a thin slice of bread and kissed his mother goodbye before walking through the dilapidated streets of Alexandra to his colourful classroom at the Kgololo Academy. At this elite primary school in one of the most destitute areas of Johannesburg, classes are small, teachers enthusiastic, and every child is known by name -- a learning environment miles away from the under-resourced local state school marred with overcrowding and discipline issues. Student Banele Phaladi (L) waits during assembly at the Kgololo Academy in Alexandra, near Johannesburg, on May 8, 2025. Image: EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP Jumping between potholes and puddles, twelve-year-old Phaladi passed the gates at dawn, welcomed with a cheerful greeting of hugs and high-fives from the school's staff and his fellow classmates. The daily greeting "allows us to make sure everyone is seen, who's in a good or bad mood, but also who has been injured, sick or has a bruise," said Waahida Tolbert-Mbatha, the 45-year-old American founder of the Kgololo Academy -- meaning "to set free" in the local Setswana language. With only 173 students -- an average of 25 per class -- the independent school says it aims to provide children with "a world-class education, within their community". A learner waits for her school transport in Alexandra. Image: EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP "In the public school next door where classes have more than 50 pupils, the teachers have to focus on the few more advanced kids," said math teacher Portia Mamba, 32. "Here we are able to focus on the ones who are struggling. Any child can learn when given the right platform," she said. Tolbert-Mbatha co-founded the school ten years ago with her husband Thulani Mbatha, a native of the poverty-stricken township that borders the affluent neighbourhood of Sandton, known as Africa's richest square mile. When Mbatha was a child, a visiting American teacher spotted him writing his homework in an abandoned bus. The teacher tutored him and his friends and eventually funded their university education. "This completely changed the trajectory for him -- but it is problematic that all the people who made it were 'discovered' because they happened to be at the right place at the right time," Tolbert-Mbatha, who has a teaching background, told AFP. "We wanted to create an environment where everyone gets discovered," she said. - Quality education at home - To achieve academic success, Alexandra's best pupils usually rely on scholarships to private schools in more affluent areas. South Africa's ongoing legacy of racial segregation, even 30 years after the end of apartheid, means the children often stand out in rich, white-majority schools. Kgololo Academy aims to give them -- at least at primary school level -- access to "high-quality education that doesn't focus on academics only" without having to leave their community, said the school's principal, Nelly Mhlongo. "It brings a new, fresh air in our community to have a private school in a township," said Phaladi's mother, Eva, who raises her son as a single mother in a house shared with his uncle, aunt and cousins. Eva Phaladi (R), the mother of Banele Phaladi (L), a student at the Kgololo Academy, opens the gate as he prepares to walk to school in Alexandra. Image: EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP The fees of about R30 000 per year, a fortune in one of the country's poorest neighbourhoods, are covered more than halfway by NGOs and private donors. Parents and grandparents scrape pennies together to afford the rest. To support the children, who face a myriad of challenges in a community plagued with unemployment and crime, the school has hired two psychologists and a social worker. "It has been a game-changer" and many pupils now see the counsellors even for everyday issues, said Tolbert-Mbatha, whose own children are also enrolled at the school. Unlike other prestigious private schools, the key to admission at Kgololo Academy is not the child's academic prowess but rather the parents' involvement. "We can take any student, we cannot take any parent," the founder said. "They must create habits to help their kids be successful." Before heading to their first-period isiZulu language lesson, Phaladi and his classmates warmed up with a lively game of musical chairs in the courtyard. The teachers here know how to make learning "interesting and fun", the good-natured pre-teen said. Next year, Phaladi's commute to school will be very different: like 90 percent of Kgololo's learners, he has just been awarded a fully-funded ride to a prestigious high school.
