bongi machangu and her daughter zinhle live right by the t&db colliery. the mine has been officially closed for decades, but is still polluting the groundnd water. it's a dangerous area. parts of the mine are burning underground as a result of spontaneous combustion. forsman is a small community not far from the mine. residents here suffer from the pollution, and also from the uncontrolled explosions inside the mine. machangu's daughter was injured in an explosion three years ago. since then, she's suffered from epilepsy. last year, machangu was herself injured in an explosion. >> it was on june 5th. i was making lunch for the children at around 1:30. then i suddenly heard this huge explosion, and i hit the ground. someone dragged me outside. then half the house collapsed. and a friend took me to the hospital. >> since then, bongi machangu has not been able to move her arm properly. but she's received no compensation. even though they themselves are dependent on coal to cook and to heat their homes in winter, people in communities like forsman or masakhan