Johannesburg, 20 September, 2022 / 9:36 pm (ACI Africa).
Jagersfontein community members affected by the mudslide reportedly triggered by the collapse of a tailings dam wall are devastated and traumatized, the Parish Priest of Kriste Morena Catholic Church of South Africa’s Bloemfontein Archdiocese who has been providing counseling and emotional support to the victims has said.
In a Monday, September 19 interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Michael Mapulanga highlighted other ways in which the Archdiocese of Bloemfontein and officials of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) have been supporting the mudslide victims, through visits and offering them legal assistance.
“What the Church has been doing so far is to offer counseling and emotional support. I have been visiting the people who were taken to the local hospital and noticed that many of the victims are traumatized because of what has happened, so I spend time listening to them, praying with them, offering psychological support,” Fr. Mapulanga said.
The Sunday, September 11 Jagersfontein mine dam collapse that left hundreds of community members homeless, has claimed the lives of at least three people and four persons are yet to be accounted for, the country’s public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), has reported.
Although the government has set up a temporary food and clothing bank, the people are traumatized and need counseling, said Fr. Mapulanga.
