Community Alerts/Olebogeng Motene/Rustenburg/06/08/18

Tailings dust blows over Ikemeleng

Ikemeleng informal settlement just outside Rustenburg CBD near Kroondal was a formally a farm in the 1960’s. Farmworkers used to settle here, and in 1990’s mining started and workers from labor-sending areas who could not afford renting built themselves shacks in Ikemeleng also called Matebeleng. There are 3 companies operating within close proximity of the community namely Sibanye formally Anglo platinum and  Aquarius platinum, Xtrata and Samacor.

The community experience high dust levels from the Xtrata and Sibanye tailings which have a terrible impact on their respiratory health. It gets worse during a windy season as one can barely because of the dust level. Both the tailings are just across the R104 road which separates the informal settlement and the mines. The Xtrata tailing is right in front of the Ikemeleng primary school and clinic, the Sibanye tailing in front of the new stands. By Olebogeng Motene
Waste all over Ikemeleng
The community of Ikemeleng does not receive most of the basic service delivery such as waste collection from the local municipality even though they are on the voters roll.
The community is flooded with waste, and due to lack of recreational facilities and grazing land children and animals are always found at this dumpsite. The dumpsites are dangerous because people dump all sorts of waste from dead animals to Sanitary pads and diapers which animals feed off. By Olebogeng Motene

Poor sanitation in Ikemeleng

Ikemeleng is an informal settlement just 10km outside Rustenburg CBD. This community is comprised of former farm workers and mine workers. The community has existed since the 1960’s and even today does not get basic service delivery, it years for the municipality and the nearby mines to provide proper roads, water, and clinic for the community. Today the community has a clinic, roads, community taps which are problematic and both portable toilets and Ventilated Improved Pit toilets. The problem with the taps and toilets is, they are being shared block by block. The VIP’s are dug 1 meter down and the portable toilets are rarely drained.

With the small spaced yards community members sometimes use the open spaces to relieve themselves, use the street to dispose of their personally used water and other dirty water. This has left the community of Ikemeleng to have smelly streets and has a negative impact on the health of the community, especially children. Some of the taps are leaking and flood the streets and ruin the roads. By Olebogeng Motene