Gwede Mantashe declares a disaster and will cut short his trip to South Sudan. Three people have been confirmed dead and four, including a pregnant woman, are in critical condition. Twenty-eight others were injured while nine houses were swept away.

Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe has declared the Free State flooding from a mine dam wall collapse a disaster after it claimed three confirmed fatalities and several injuries.

The disaster took place in the early hours of Sunday. It is understood that a dam wall collapsed, causing a mudslide near the Jagersfontein area causing flooding in several areas in the town.

In photo and video footage sent to Daily Maverick, residents can be seen expressing shock at the sight of homes, vehicles and livestock being swept away.

Speaking from South Sudan, in a short virtual media briefing, Mantashe said he would abandon his trip and attend to the crisis alongside other officials: "I am just declaring that because of this disaster, I am cutting the trip short to come back home to be part of the management team of this disaster."

Preliminary report

As of Sunday evening, 28 people were confirmed to have sustained minor injuries, four...