Upon acquiring the Bulembu property in 2006, Bulembu Ministries Swaziland (BMS) conducted a series of tests in order to assess the liveability of the property. It was important to understand exactly what the charity was getting into after the decades of neglect under the management of the mining company that had operated the town for 60 years. All tests indicated that any risk of exposure to the chrysotile that was mined on the property over the previous decades was negligible. Still, BMS has been mindful to take the necessary steps to appropriately rehabilitate the property and create safeguards for all of the residents of the town.
One of the most important stages in our rehabilitation plan began last month with the $1.2 million rehabilitation of the old mine tailings dump. This project has been made possible with support from funders and experts in Canada and South Africa.
The current timeline calls for all of the required activities necessary to rehabilitate the mine tailings to be completed in 14 months. During this time BMS will be monitoring closely the water, soil and air quality, ensuring that the rehabilitation of the tailings has no ill effects on the community. Bulembu is home to over 2,000 enterprise employees, community care workers, children and Bulembu administrators and leadership all of who live, work and play in town. We are always mindful of this reality when making decision about our community.
Follow along over the next 14 months as we regularly post mine rehab updates on the blog.
The first step in the rehabilitation process: re-sloping.
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