BLOEMFONTEIN, Free State — Ten months following the tragic death of a young swimmer, the Mangaung Metro Municipality has escalated its fight for public safety by approaching the High Court to permanently secure the Witherow Quarry in Heidedal. Citing severe security lapses and a long history of fatal accidents at the abandoned site, local authorities are seeking urgent legal intervention to protect the surrounding residential communities.
The municipality is currently awaiting a final judgment that will legally compel the quarry’s owners to properly fence and secure the perimeter. Officials express strong confidence that the court will rule in favor of the public, given the documented history of fatalities. Should the property owners fail to adhere to the impending court order, the municipality has stated it will move to seize the land without offering any compensation.
Once confiscated, city officials plan to regularize the property and potentially hand it over to a new custodian under strict operational conditions designed to guarantee the safety of all future visitors.
The dangerous legacy of the Witherow Quarry dates back to its operational days as a commercial clay-mining site run by Corobrik. After mining operations ceased, the property was abandoned without standard environmental rehabilitation. Community campaigners point out that out-of-province miners from KwaZulu-Natal profited from the land and left behind a massive, unfenced water body situated squarely in the middle of a densely populated neighborhood, granting unsupervised access to local children.
The urgent legal push gained significant momentum following a joint site visit by the portfolio committee on water and sanitation and various other stakeholders. For the local community, the municipality’s decisive action represents a hard-fought milestone after more than ten years of relentless protests.
A local community activist, who has spearheaded the safety campaign for 11 years and submitted two separate petitions to parliament—only the second of which received a response—described the impending legal action as a major victory. While expressing deep gratitude to the mayor Gregory Nthatisi for officially signing off on the legal proceedings, the activist noted the bittersweet nature of the development. According to the activist, both the land owners and the municipality were fully aware of the dangers following the very first drowning at the site a quarter-century ago, a tragedy that could have been prevented had immediate action been taken.
The municipality’s High Court application comes in the direct wake of the most recent loss of life at the site. Last October, the body of a 20-year-old was recovered seven days after he tragically drowned while swimming with friends, marking yet another heartbreaking chapter for the Heidedal community.
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