The construction of houses that were destroyed when a mine dam wall collapsed at Jagersfontein in the Free State in 2022 has finally begun.
It is expected to be completed by March this year.
Residents were promised new homes within six months after the disaster. But 15 months later, families are still displaced.
The authorities have cited the legal action that some residents have taken as the reason for the delays in construction.
The contractor, Thapelo Lebona, says they are focusing on rebuilding only 54 homes for residents who are not represented by lawyers.
“We started by doing an assessment and, after that assessment, a consolidated report, and after that report, we started with the designs of these houses. So far, we have about 22 different designs for about 54 houses. We understand that there are not just 54 houses that need to be rebuilt but about 70 houses. It is just that there are two categories: people under lawyers and people who are not under lawyers.
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