The Free State Health Department is in the process of transporting a 20-year-old Jagersfontein man from a temporary shelter in Bloemfontein to Jagersfontein’s Diamant hospital.
This comes after he was found to be coughing out sludge particles.
At least one person was killed and more than 80 others treated for minor injuries when a mine sludge dam burst on Sunday.
At least 164 houses were damaged.
The man is one of 243 residents of Jagersfontein who have been displaced.
A pregnant woman who was among the injured is still recovering in Bloemfontein’s Pelonomi hospital.
The Health Department’s spokesperson Mondli Mvambi says, “The doctor recommended that he be admitted to Diamant hospital but they kept him for observation here in Bloemfontein. This afternoon they have assured us they will safely transport him to Diamant hospital.”
VIDEO: Residents come to terms with the loss and damage following burst dam:
Houses
President Cyril Ramaphosa assured displaced residents of Jagersfontein that government will rebuild their houses.
Ramaphosa addressed residents in Fauresmith which is a nearby town to Jagersfontein.
He says the cause of the incident would be investigated.
Ramaphosa says he has also visited the injured residents who are still hospitalised.
VIDEO: President Ramaphosa visits Fauresmith following mine dam collapse:
Threat
Mine management of Jagersfontein Developments is adamant that there was no indication of a looming threat.
The mine’s legal compliance officer, Marius de Villiers, says they complied with all safety measures.
De Villiers was speaking during a visit by Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe to the sludge devastated town.
He says, “A new licence was issued and that licence was what we operated on up until now and we have complied with all those conditions, that’s why I am saying the last and I have said it previously as well, the last engineering report that was submitted by the mine was in June because we have to do that quarterly. We have complied with that.”
