An aerial view shows the breached tailings compartment and the path of released material toward nearby mine infrastructure.
By Salini Krishnan
South African regulators are investigating the collapse of a tailings storage facility at Samancor Chrome’s Dikwena mine near Brits in the North West, after almost all the material stored in one compartment was released.
The northern wall of Compartment 1B failed at about 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 13, according to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). No casualties were reported, but the release damaged mine infrastructure, a railway line and Eskom powerlines, while also polluting an unnamed tributary.
The incident is expected to intensify scrutiny of mining ESG compliance 2026, particularly the registration, monitoring and operational management of tailings storage facilities across South Africa.
DWS, LOCMA and DMPR conduct joint assessment
DWS said its Specialist Unit: Dam Safety Regulation dispatched engineers to the site after being notified of the failure. Officials from the Limpopo-Olifants Catchment Management Agency (LOCMA) and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) joined the department in assessing the damage and potential environmental impacts.
LOCMA is responsible for water-resource management in the Limpopo-Olifants Water Management Area, which includes the area around the Dikwena operation. DMPR’s involvement reflects the connection between tailings management, mining operations, structural safety and environmental obligations.
According to the South African Government News Agency, the collapse released “almost all the tailings/slimes stored in the compartment.”
The material moved toward the neighbouring Eland Mine, affecting access routes and surrounding infrastructure. A railway embankment and berms on the Eland property helped prevent the flow from reaching the R566 provincial road, DWS said.
Regulators and technical personnel assess the failed embankment and surrounding containment systems.
Verbal directive halts further tailings deposition
As a precaution, DWS issued a verbal directive requiring Samancor to stop depositing tailings into any of its tailings dams while the investigation continues.
The directive immediately places the mine’s tailings-handling arrangements under regulatory review. Investigators will need to establish whether the remaining compartments are stable, whether deposition can safely resume, and what temporary controls are required to manage water levels and material placement.
Tailings deposition affects several elements of facility stability, including the position of deposited material, available freeboard, drainage performance and the distribution of water within the storage area. A halt across the Dikwena dams gives regulators time to assess those conditions before the operator resumes normal activities.
The scope and duration of the directive were not immediately disclosed. Its operational consequences will depend on the mine’s available storage capacity, production schedule and the findings of the technical assessment.
DWS has not identified a cause for the wall collapse. Any conclusions about design, construction, deposition practices, rainfall, maintenance or contractor performance would be premature until the investigation is complete.
Water samples collected as pollution impact is assessed
The released tailings polluted an unnamed tributary near the mine, DWS said. Water samples have been collected, with laboratory results pending.
The sampling will help determine whether process residues, dissolved metals or other contaminants entered the watercourse and whether pollution moved beyond the area affected by the initial slurry flow. Investigators are also likely to examine sediment deposition, downstream drainage and possible effects on water users, ecosystems and mine operations.
A visible tailings flow does not, on its own, establish the chemical risk associated with the material. The environmental consequences will depend on the composition of the chrome-processing waste, the volume released, dilution in the watercourse and the speed and effectiveness of containment and cleanup measures.
Water samples are collected downstream from the affected tailings facility for laboratory analysis.
Until results are released, authorities have not confirmed the extent of contamination or whether any restrictions on water use are required. Continued monitoring will be important, particularly if rainfall mobilises deposited material or carries suspended sediment farther downstream.
The incident also creates potential longer-term risks from dried tailings. If deposited material is not stabilised, wind and vehicle movement could generate dust, while further stormwater runoff could transport sediment into surrounding drainage channels.
Damage extends beyond the mine boundary
The failure affected infrastructure shared by several mining operations in the Brits area.
DWS reported damage to the railway line and Eskom powerlines, while the flow also affected mine infrastructure. Reports indicated that roads leading toward Eland Mine’s Maroelabult shaft were covered by sludge, temporarily restricting access.
Damage to power infrastructure can create consequences beyond the immediate facility. Repairs require safe access, inspections of poles and lines, and confirmation that the ground around the damaged infrastructure is stable. Railway repairs may also require removal of deposited tailings, geotechnical checks and reconstruction of embankments or track sections.
The event illustrates how tailings facilities can create risks for adjacent operators even when a flow does not reach a public road or populated area. Mine access routes, electricity networks, rail corridors and watercourses may all sit within the potential impact zone.
| Confirmed issue | Reported status |
|---|---|
| Failed structure | Northern wall of Compartment 1B |
| Material released | Almost all stored tailings/slimes in the compartment |
| Human impact | No casualties reported |
| Infrastructure affected | Mine infrastructure, railway line and Eskom powerlines |
| Water impact | Pollution of an unnamed tributary |
| Regulatory response | Verbal halt to tailings deposition at Dikwena dams |
| Environmental evidence | Water samples collected; laboratory results pending |
Majodina renews call for tailings dam registration
Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina used the incident to renew her call for mining companies to register tailings dams that meet the National Water Act’s minimum requirements for classification as dams with a safety risk.
Registration gives DWS a formal basis for oversight, classification and dam-safety monitoring. The department has previously called on mine owners to verify whether qualifying tailings facilities are registered in its database.
The government’s registration guidance is available through the Department of Water and Sanitation’s official call to mining companies.
The requirement is significant because tailings storage facilities can function as dams even when their contents include mine waste rather than clean water. Their failure modes can affect public safety, property, infrastructure and water resources simultaneously.
For operators, registration is only one part of the compliance framework. Effective tailings governance also depends on accurate facility inventories, design and construction records, independent inspections, operational controls, emergency-response planning and disclosure of material risks.
What investigators will examine
The Dikwena inquiry is likely to focus on the condition and history of Compartment 1B, as well as the controls applied across the wider tailings system.
Key questions include:
- Design and construction: Was the wall built and raised in accordance with approved engineering designs?
- Deposition practices: How and where was material deposited before the collapse?
- Water management: Were drainage, freeboard and seepage controls operating as intended?
- Monitoring: What did inspections, instrumentation and surveillance records show before the failure?
- Facility classification: Were the affected structures appropriately registered and classified under South Africa’s dam-safety framework?
- Emergency response: How quickly were neighbouring mines, infrastructure operators and authorities notified?
- Remediation: What measures will be used to remove or stabilise released material and protect the tributary?
These questions will determine whether the collapse was an isolated structural event or exposed broader weaknesses in the mine’s tailings-management system.
South Africa’s regulatory responsibilities are distributed across water, mining and environmental institutions. The joint involvement of DWS, LOCMA and DMPR indicates that the investigation will consider both the physical failure and the governance arrangements surrounding the facility.
Broader implications for mining ESG compliance
The Dikwena failure follows earlier high-profile tailings incidents in South Africa, including the Jagersfontein disaster, and is likely to reinforce demands for stronger transparency and accountability.
For investors and lenders, tailings performance is increasingly linked to environmental, social and governance risk. A facility failure can generate cleanup costs, production interruptions, regulatory action, legal claims, insurance exposure and reputational damage. It can also affect neighbouring operations that depend on shared infrastructure.
For mining companies, the immediate priorities are likely to be facility inspections, water monitoring, infrastructure repair and engagement with affected stakeholders. The longer-term issue is whether tailings management is treated as a core operating discipline, rather than as a separate environmental function.
Skillings has examined the broader tailings management and dam-safety landscape, including the growing focus on monitoring, closure planning and risk allocation.
At Dikwena, the confirmed facts remain limited but serious: a wall in Compartment 1B collapsed, almost all stored material was released, infrastructure and a watercourse were affected, and no casualties were reported. The cause of the failure, the full environmental impact and any enforcement action remain subject to the regulators’ findings.
Sources: South African Government News Agency, Daily Maverick, Mining Weekly, and Department of Water and Sanitation.