Yup, for those who didn't read the article...
Blyvooruitzicht, a once-thriving gold mining village near Carletonville in Gauteng, collapsed into ruin after its mine was abruptly liquidated in August 2013. In 2013, DRDGOLD and Village Main Reef entered a legal standoff over who officially owned and held responsibility for the failing operation. Because neither company accepted liability, the mine went into sudden provisional liquidation 14 years ahead of its projected 2027 closure.
Between 1,500 and 1,700 mineworkers lost their jobs immediately without receiving any severance or redundancy pay. According to Lawyers for Human Rights, unemployment in the village quickly surged to 75%, leaving nearly 60% of residents without enough money for food. Because the mining company previously managed the town's utilities, liquidation cut off regular water, sanitation, rubbish collection, and security. Residents have had to rely on prepaid electricity and weekly municipal water tankers.
Unmaintained tailings dumps cover the village in toxic, radioactive dust whenever the wind blows. Many residents also still live in ageing prefabricated houses made with banned asbestos, which were originally built after a catastrophic 1964 sinkhole swallowed a neighbouring part of the village. Crime and Illegal Mining. The abandoned shafts and looted infrastructure attracted heavily armed illegal miners (zama zamas). Advocacy groups like MACUA report that severe resource scarcity, illegal mining turf wars, and a lack of policing have made the area deeply hazardous.
