Digging for survival

While illegal mining remains deadly dangerous, three young learners have to skip school at least a day or two every week to mine coal for survival at the now disused and unsafe Imbabala Mine near Wesselton.
The three live with their sister (17) and her two-month-old baby in Wesselton and get by with money made from coal sales at R60 a bag.
According to the trio, they sometimes come home empty-handed after being bullied to surrender their merchandise.
The youngsters say their father passed away, their mother is with another man and their relatives visit only once in a while.
The elder sister told the Highvelder that their mother left them at beginning of the year to look for employment in Mbombela. She comes home once a month to receive grant money for the three, buys a few items and heads back to Mbombela. The children say the groceries are never enough for the whole month and whenever they contact her for more money, she always makes excuses.
“Even the neighbours don’t want to help us anymore and we really struggle, especially now since it’s winter. We don’t have enough money to get wood and coal,” said one of the kids.
Her sentiments were echoed by her sister who said she cannot wait to go back to school, as she knows she will get food from the feeding scheme and that is usually the only meal they get.
The Highvelder asked a social worker how they could intervene. According to her, they would need to investigate the matter and some of the possibilities include supplying the kids with food parcels, foster care for the young ones and the two-month-old baby and they would also need to deal with the mother.
Another concern is the health hazard to the kids, as the municipal sewer runs in front of their door step and is exposed, which poses a danger to children that play around the area unguarded.
By the time of going to print, enquiries to Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) where all Community Development Workers (CDWs) report had not been replied to. CDWs are supposed to compile profiles on all the households in their respective wards.
Msukaligwa spokesman, Mr Mandla Zwane, visited the house and saw the exposed sewer line running into a nearby stream. He referred all the enquiries to the relevant department, but at the time of going to print no response had been received.
A properly cooked meal, warm bath and a bit of television are what the children crave, as such are luxuries they cannot afford. They also worry about their worn-out school uniforms and the well-being of the baby.
Despite being aware of the dangers involved, the children are part of the illegal miners scavenging at the mine that was closed down by the Department of Mineral Resources in 2011.
Scores of men and women of all ages dig at the site daily despite the dangers, but maintain that they would do anything to put food on the family table.