Schools, Homes, and Health at Risk: Vereeniging Community Fights Proposed Coal Mine

Resident activist Jenny Labuschangne reveals alarming details about a proposed coal mine threatening Voldrift and surrounding Vereeniging communities. The Springfield mine project would operate dangerously close to two schools—including one for disabled children—residential areas, and farmland. Key concerns include dynamite blasting near homes, contaminated groundwater, dust pollution affecting asthma sufferers, and inadequate community consultation with unanswered questions at participation meetings. The mining company's desktop surveys missed critical infrastructure, while transport plans involve heavy trucks on already-congested R82 and a conveyor belt crossing the R59. Despite Midvaal Municipality's opposition, approval rumors persist. Legal challenges may be the community's only recourse, requiring significant funding for high court proceedings.