28/10/2024
- An event tomorrow in the House of Lords will examine the toxic legacy of Anglo American in Kabwe, Zambia, where hundreds of thousands continue to be harmed by lead pollution left behind from historic mining operations.
- The panel will include Barry Mulimba, resident of Kabwe and a community leader, who is visiting the UK and can explain from first-hand experience the âdevastationâ this has caused.
- Regional, health and legal experts will discuss the tremendous public health impacts and implications arising from the environmental lead contamination, particularly on children and during pregnancy.
- Attendees will be invited to add their name to an open letter, already signed by a range of national and international organisations, calling on Anglo American to address these harms.
- This event follows International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week from 20-26 October 2024.
London â Tomorrow, on Tuesday 29 October, Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) and Lord Peter Hain will host an event in the House of Lords, in which a panel of regional, health, and legal experts will discuss the impacts of lead pollution in Kabwe, one of the worldâs most toxic towns, where Anglo American operated one of the worldâs most productive lead mines for almost 50 years.
A class action suit has been filed in South Africa against Anglo American South Africa on behalf of around 140,000 women and children in Kabwe who are alleging harm from lead poisoning caused by Anglo Americanâs historic mining operations (more information on the court case in the notes).
The panel will include discussion about the serious health impacts and implications of lead poisoning, especially on children, Anglo Americanâs role in contributing to the lead contamination in Kabwe, what everyday life is like in one of the worldâs most polluted towns, and the legal case itself â including Angloâs defence of acting within the âstandards of the timeâ. The discussions will also cover the gap between the lack of accountability and responsibility being taken by Anglo American and the commitments it has made to international human rights guidelines on remediation for adverse impacts on human rights and the environment.
Attendees including MPs, Peers, analysts, investors and civil society organisations will be given the opportunity to sign an open letter addressed to Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad, calling for Anglo to take immediate action to address this historic wrongdoing. The open letter has already been signed by a number of national and international charities and organisations working on human rights, childrenâs rights, health and corporate accountability, and will be issued to Duncan Wanblad and released after the event.
In this discussion hosted by Lord Hain, speakers will include:
- Barry Mulimba, resident and community leader from Kabwe
- Dr Stephan Böse-OâReilly, environmental health expert at the University Hospital Munich
- Richard Meeran, Partner at Leigh Day, who are working with Mbuyisa Moleele Attorneys, the South African Law Firm bringing the case
Ahead of this event, Barry Mulimba, Kabwe resident and community leader, said:
âAs a lifelong resident of Kabwe, I have seen firsthand the devastation that lead poisoning has caused in our communities. Families in Kabwe have been suffering for generations because of the contamination left behind by Anglo American, and their suffering continues to this day. The people of Kabwe have waited far too long for justice. Anglo American must act now to begin repairing the tremendous damage that they have done to the people and environment of Kabwe, and to ensure that countless future generations are not condemned to grow up in one of the most toxic places on the planet.â
Lord Peter Hain also commented:
âIt is indisputable that Anglo American made massive profits by extracting lead in Kabwe. It is indisputable that Kabwe now faces an environmental and health disaster. It is indisputable that concerns were raised at the time which were not acted upon. To establish a norm where companies have no responsibility for the ecological and human harm they have caused sets a dangerous precedent for people everywhere, as well as for future generations.â
For more information on the event contact: media@actsa.org
Latest on the lawsuit:
A class action suit has been filed in South Africa on behalf of c.140,000 Claimants who allege lead poisoning caused by a former Anglo American lead mining operation in Kabwe. The Kabwe Claimants are represented by South African Attorneys, Mbuyisa Moleele with UK firm Leigh Day acting as consultants on the case.
In a major step forward for the Claimants in this longstanding claim, on 19 April 2024 the Johannesburg High court granted permission to appeal an earlier ruling denying class action certification. The case will now be heard in the South Africa Supreme Court of Appeal.
ENDS
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Why NAZIS establish a norm where companies have no responsibity
"To establish a norm where companies have no responsibility for the ecological and human harm they have caused sets a dangerous precedent for people everywhere, as well as for future generations.â