Image used for illustration. A massive sinkhole. Picture: Supplied An irate Mpumalanga family is vowing to take legal action against the authorities after two children fell into a sinkhole and died.
Yesterday, family spokesperson Tankiso Mokalala said it had been about a week since 13-year-old Thato Qoi and his 10-year-old cousin, Lindelani Mokalala, from Klarinet in Emalahleni, were buried, but the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, and the mining firm, had not come to discuss compensating the family for the deaths allegedly caused by their negligence. “The children died because of the sinkhole left open by one of the mines and the department failed to use the rehabilitation fee to fix the environment and to hold the mine accountable,” claimed Mokalala. “That is why we are negotiating with legal representatives on how we can hold the involved stakeholders accountable for the tragedy.
My family is traumatised.” Mokalala said department officials and one of the mining companies that previously operated in the area offered R50 000 for the funeral of the children. Thereafter, there had been no communication between the family and officials. He said four children playing next to the pit had slipped into the sinkhole full of water.
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Residents rescued two, but the cousins were already dead, he said. A well-known law firm is negotiating with the family concerning the matter. Pule Khoza from Enough Is Enough, a community representative group, said there were many sinkholes in Klarinet, which endanger the lives of children.
In 2024, the community protested at the department’s local offices about the sinkholes, but they did not get answers. A month later, a child fell into one of the sinkholes and died, Khoza said.
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