" Dozens of families face eviction from abandoned Sibanye-Stillwater mining village" 14 July 2025

The Waterpan Village, which had around 80 homes for mine managers, was abandoned by Sibanye-Stillwater after Cooke 1, 2, and 3 closed in 2017. Cooke 4 underground operation had closed in 2016. Many people, like Makhubo and her family, and others from surrounding areas, moved into the abandoned homes

“These are our homes. Without it, we have nowhere to go,” Makhubo told GroundUp. “It is really stressful and traumatising getting these eviction notices. I ask myself, where will I go if they kick us out? … You can’t just chase people out like they are dogs. We fought for this community. We fought for these houses when they wanted to demolish them. We fought against the zama zamas in this area and to keep the community safe.”[...]

But Sibanye-Stillwater, and its subsidiary Rand Uranium, which owns the village and the properties, says it is their property and they have a right to evict illegal occupiers.

“Our understanding is that all the occupants are illegal occupiers. Some of the occupants are believed to have worked for the Ezulwini Mining Company (Cooke 4) which was placed on care and maintenance in 2016 and operations suspended. The challenge is that we haven’t been able to identify all the occupants,” said James Wellsted, spokesperson for Sibanye.

Eviction notices were first issued to residents of the Waterpan Village in March this year, and the power to the village was cut off shortly after that.

Residents again received eviction notices in June. But despite that, they are continuing to live in the village without electricity. [...] Wonder Modise, chairperson of the West End Mining and Rehabilitation (WERM) Trust, who has been negotiating with Sibanye about old and abandoned mining infrastructure in the area, argues that the community had rights to the village and homes after Sibanye left them abandoned and neglected for years. [...] The Trust said Sibanye has issued eviction notices to residents, initiated property transfers to private parties, and demolished community infrastructure, including training centres and engineering facilities.