Blood Mines

Chapter 3: Acid water’s death

Tanya knew that in her mom's mind she still hoped that the man would come back, even after all those years. Looking at her half-brother she could recognize the fear of want in him – maybe he had been the reason she took the time to talk some sense into her mother. He seemed like a bright youngster, but schooling wasn't in his future now and she doubted it ever would be if things continued the way they were going. When she rode away from the informal settlement that day she knew she would never see her mother again. That was four years ago.

At the age of sixteen Tanya took over the position of mother to the youngest children and had taken the responsibility of running the farm. Her father would disappear for days, just to be found somewhere he had fallen asleep again after another drunken binge. Sometime later, he too left the farm and became a bum. Her father died a broken man who couldn't accept the changes or face the neglect. The sheer powerlessness of the problems that he had to face continued to mount and it eventually drained his will to fight.

Now, on days like this, she could understand his despair that she felt most days. Powerless.

Unlike her father, she had the will to confront things, but nowadays even her will was starting to slip. She knew it. She didn't see what he had seen in his time, so she was in no position to judge him.

The death of his own father broke him. The death of his land and dwindling account left him bankrupt in both body and soul. She could only tap into the strength of the love for her son and the country she still had after all this time. She owed it to her son to give him something better.

What? She had no idea.

How? She had no plan.

However, the fact remained that she had to keep going, even if it took all her willpower to get ahead.

The acid water seeping through the pores of the earth poisoned everything it touched. Because they had nowhere to go, they stayed.

They referred to it as 'blood water' due to its coppery colour. The water had already reached the western borders of the property. The neighbours on that side of the fence had abandoned ship ages ago, leaving the once blooming farm to become another wasteland. The stench would reach them on days that the wind was blowing from that direction, reminding them of what their future held. At times it would be so bad they were forced to wear medical masks. At times fresh air was a luxury that many could not afford and people would simply collapse due to the lack of it.

Where could you go in any case if the rest of the territory looked like this?

Out of pure frustration and in the hopes that things would turn for the better, she married Derek, another farmer when she was only nineteen years old. Her son was the only good that had come from it.

Now, it was only the two of them left and she had no idea how to move forward. The work that she did in town didn't bring in enough for them to survive. After their ordeal a week ago she abruptly called her former boss and told him that she quit with immediate effect.

He tried to convince her but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Far and wide it was the same struggle, the same desperation, with people losing the battle day after day. Still, the government told the rest of the world that we were a thriving country that had no problems.

While they sipped their expensive whiskey out of crystal, they continued to steal from the land; emptying the state coffers with a greedy speed. Nothing was safe in their hands – government pensions like Parastatal Organizations disappeared overnight leaving thousands of pensioners stranded, forever dependable on other people to survive. The government of the day had no problem taking what didn't belong to them while living lavishly in their mansions.

Misappropriations of government resources were never resolved, even after long court battles. Fingers pointed to the former president but he had rejected the allegations brought against him. He was assassinated two days before the next election in 2019. He thought he would have another term, but an unknown shooter cut his dreams of a further term as president short. He was gunned down in broad daylight at the very place that he had built with corrupted funds, no tears were shed and the sniper was never apprehended. Oh, there were many speculations, of course, but nothing was ever confirmed. It was just another unresolved murder that was swept under the carpet.

She heard that the stronghold was kaput. Nothing was left of the once-pristine place. The previously immaculate pool that made headlines was now a rubbish heap. The squatters simply had taken over and the still-remaining presidential family lives in fear for their lives.

They say Karma is a b***h as no one seemed to care enough to help them. They had worn out every favour, depleted their bank accounts and lived like beggars. Immediately after the election in 2019 the military was declared bankrupt and was swiftly removed from the stately family house.

The police would only protect them for money, but they had nothing to pay them with. Tanya had heard that some of the women were used by the men for services rendered to them. Allegations of abuse and r**e were filtering through but no one cared enough to help. They were all alone in a sea of squatters that controlled that area now.

They thought that things would change with the newly elected president, but he soon showed that he was another greedy vulture out only for himself and six months later he was overpowered and killed in his house. Still a mystery today, his death remained unexplained and people refused to talk. His arrogance cost him his life and the masses refused to accept him. But by then the damage was already done. From there everything went downhill fast.

Investors left the region, businesses shut down, towns disappeared and the already neglected services declined further and became non-existent in the end. The Electricity Utility Supplier was shut down and could not operate any longer. Constant power cuts and maintenance problems overwhelmed them; they basically couldn't deliver any service to the public.

Corruption multiplied and its effects could be seen everywhere. Money disappeared without a trace and swept under the carpet with an elusive answer to quiet the masses. However, everyone knew.

There was no money to rectify the previous government's mistakes. All the resources were stolen and moved out of the country. Many of the former leaders lived exotic somewhere else in the world with money that was never theirs in the first place. The last Tanya had heard was that two prominent groups worked together sending a petition to the International Criminal Tribunal: They felt that these former leaders should be prosecuted for their crimes against the citizens of South Africa. If they would stand trial or not was still a hotly-discussed subject debated around many kitchen tables. That would not help the country or its people. The damage was worse than anybody could imagine.