Legacy of the Mine by Ilan Godfrey

7 days, 7 images on the World Photography Organisation Instagram feed

Text and images by Ilan Godfrey 

"For more than a century, South Africa’s demand for gold, diamonds, coal and platinum has gone from strength to strength, often shifting in accordance with the political economy and the availability of ­foreign markets. Mineral exploitation by means of cheap and disposable labour has brought about national economic growth, making the mining industry the largest industrial sector in South Africa. Recognised globally for its abundance and variety of mineral resources, which account for a significant proportion of world production and reserves.

These photographs provide agency to those whose lives and livelihoods have been destroyed by mining processes and the long-term environmental ramifications, to expose the far-reaching neglect by the successive governments and corporate bodies that have driven the mining industry, to explore how people have coped within their circumstances, and to sensitise a public saturated with the idea of ‘climate change’ by focusing on the local problems that we can actually see. Therefore challenging the ideological portrayal of ‘the mine’ as a symbol of progress, prosperity and wealth. My subjects thus become symbols of the struggle for environmental and social justice in the country.

Even though a project of this nature is far-reaching and covers a large expanse of the South African landscape, it has been tied together through microcosms of visual narration of untold stories. By congregating a disparate network of people and places, I hope to provide a space for them to be heard and for the magnitude of the damage to be felt."

 

Tweelopie Spruit, Krugersdorp Game Reserve, Gauteng, 2012. In late August 2002 acid mine water reached the surface from deep underground in the West Rand of Johannesburg, decanting from the disused gold mine shafts that make up the West Rand Mining Basin. It flowed into streams, rivers and lakes with devastating consequences, and poisoned everything in its path. Aquatic biota were destroyed and soil became polluted. Today, Tweelopie Spruit is a lifeless body of water now classified as a high acute toxic river system. Its course is far-reaching, affecting the Krugersdorp Game Reserve and the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, and inevitably flowing into major river sources including the Limpopo. No provision has been made torehabilitate the degraded river systems and compensate the communities that rely on these tributaries for agriculture and drinking water. Photo by @ilangodfrey, from the series ‘Legacy of the Mine’. “Exploring the consequences of mining on South Africa’s land and people, I am unsettled by what lies ahead. The need for economic growth cannot be ignored but neither can the sustainability of the earth and water for generations to come.” Ilan Godfrey was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He works with various institutions and organisations worldwide and has been recognised locally and internationally by various photography awards including POPCAP Prize Africa, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the OPEN Photo Award, the International Photography Award and the Magenta Flash Forward Award among others. #WPOfavs #SouthAfrica #Mining #Landscape

A photo posted by World Photography Organisation (@worldphotoorg) on Oct 12, 2016 at 8:28am PDT

 

Acid mine drainage, East Rand Proprietary Mine, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2011. ERPM continues to produce gold from its Cason dump surface retreatment operation. Some 300,000 tons of underground ore are recycled each year, while 1.9 million tons of surface material are processed. Acid mine drainage is highly acidic water, usually containing high concentrations of metals, sulphides and salts. The major sources of acid mine drainage are drainage from underground mine shafts, runoff and discharge from open pits and mine waste dumps, tailings and ore stockpiles. These make up nearly 88 per cent of all waste produced in South Africa. Water drainage from abandoned underground mine shafts often decants into surface water systems, resulting in a host of environmental, social and economic, problems. Photo by @ilangodfrey, from the series ‘Legacy of the Mine’. “Exploring the consequences of mining on South Africa’s land and people, I am unsettled by what lies ahead. The need for economic growth cannot be ignored but neither can the sustainability of the earth and water for generations to come.” Ilan Godfrey was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He works with various institutions and organisations worldwide and has been recognised locally and internationally by various photography awards including POPCAP Prize Africa, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the OPEN Photo Award, the International Photography Award and the Magenta Flash Forward Award among others. #WPOfavs #SouthAfrica #Mining #Landscape

A photo posted by World Photography Organisation (@worldphotoorg) on Oct 13, 2016 at 6:38am PDT

 

Acid mine drainage, Blesbokspruit, Emalahleni (Witbank), Mpumalanga, 2011. Large coal deposits have given rise to widespread mining operations in the area. This has resulted in water systems being contaminated by acid mine drainage, which contains large quantities of metals. Photo by @ilangodfrey, from the series ‘Legacy of the Mine’. “Exploring the consequences of mining on South Africa’s land and people, I am unsettled by what lies ahead. The need for economic growth cannot be ignored but neither can the sustainability of the earth and water for generations to come.” Ilan Godfrey was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He works with various institutions and organisations worldwide and has been recognised locally and internationally by various photography awards including POPCAP Prize Africa, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the OPEN Photo Award, the International Photography Award and the Magenta Flash Forward Award among others. #WPOfavs #SouthAfrica #Mining #Landscape

A photo posted by World Photography Organisation (@worldphotoorg) on Oct 14, 2016 at 3:35am PDT

 

Jeffrey Ramiruti, Tudor Shaft, Mogale City, Krugersdorp, Johannesburg, 2011. Jeffrey Ramiruti looks out over a stretch of water that has flooded a large part of the Tudor Shaft informal settlement. The settlement is built on top of mine tailings and is surrounded by land contaminated by mining activities and radioactive dumps, which expose the inhabitants to radiation and dust inhalation. Research gathered by Professor Chris Busby, a world expert in uranium products, has revealed that radiation levels on these dumps are 15 times higher than normal, similar to the exclusion zone of Chernobyl and Fukushima. It is estimated that, countrywide, 1.6 million people are living next to or on top of mine dumps. Photo by @ilangodfrey, from the series ‘Legacy of the Mine’. “Exploring the consequences of mining on South Africa’s land and people, I am unsettled by what lies ahead. The need for economic growth cannot be ignored but neither can the sustainability of the earth and water for generations to come.” Ilan Godfrey was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He works with various institutions and organisations worldwide and has been recognised locally and internationally by various photography awards including POPCAP Prize Africa, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the OPEN Photo Award, the International Photography Award and the Magenta Flash Forward Award among others. #WPOfavs #SouthAfrica #Mining #Landscape

A photo posted by World Photography Organisation (@worldphotoorg) on Oct 17, 2016 at 2:42am PDT

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