Residents staying close to the railway line in Jackaroo Park say they were covered in a blanket of dust moments after the blast on Tuesday, March 31.
“We were sitting outside enjoying a cup of coffee when suddenly the whole area shook,” a resident, who wishes to stay anonymous, said.
The man said he is going to sell his house and move, as it is no longer safe to stay in the suburb.
Jackaroo Park once was a quiet suburb, with lush trees and beautiful gardens. Various species of birds were counted, but that is all changing.
Mining has taken over and is taking its toll on the environment.
“Look here, we can’t even clean in-between the burglar bars,” said the man, dragging a cloth over the windowpane.
The man took a stroll through his house and showed a huge crack making its way up on one of the walls. Outside, cracked windows and tiles on the roof not lining up anymore, are telling their own wordless story.
Just down the road, Mr Jaco Taljaard was busy working on his vehicle when the huge blast shook the ground.
“I was surprised by the magnitude of the blast. This was the second time this year we experienced a blast, but this one was much worse,” Taljaard said.
He said he has not seen any damage to his house.
WITBANK NEWS is busy with an investigation looking into where the blast came from. If you have any information regarding mining in the Jackaroo Park area, e-mail zita@witbanknews.co.za.
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