Pretoria: Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, accompanied by Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo and senior officials from both departments and specialised engineering teams, have conducted a joint oversight visit to Samancor Dikwena Chrome near Brits. This visit follows the structural failure of a sidewall at the mine's tailings facility last Thursday.
According to South African Government News Agency, the visit was part of the government's response to the incident, which occurred on 13 August 2026. During their visit on Monday, the government delegation met with mine management, received a detailed briefing on the circumstances surrounding the incident, and inspected the affected area to evaluate potential environmental impacts, infrastructure disruptions, and the progress of the multi-agency investigation.
Addressing the media at the site, Mantashe acknowledged the absence of fatalities, while emphasizing systemic accountability and regulatory compliance. 'We are very lucky that there is no fatality. Let us start from there. Nobody is dead; there is a disaster, but there is no death. That we must accept. But managing slime dams cannot be treated as a water issue. It is a mining issue, inherently linked to the core mining operations and structural accountability,' Mantashe said.
Deputy Minister Mahlobo highlighted the necessity for tailings infrastructure to maintain structural integrity across all phases of operation. The Department of Water and Sanitation, alongside specialised dam safety engineering units, has deployed teams to conduct thorough water quality sampling, containment checks, and environmental risk assessments aimed at safeguarding surrounding communities and mitigating potential downstream impacts.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to the principle of Zero Harm, the protection of workers' health and safety, environmental protection, and strict regulatory compliance across all mining and industrial operations. Investigations into the exact technical and operational causes of the sidewall failure remain active and ongoing.
