Unrehabilitated mining site

Westerberg, Koegas

Throughout much of the 20th century, British corporations took an active part in the mining of asbestos in South Africa. The multinationals have now moved on, leaving their former employees and local residents to face the legacy of decades of occupational and environmental exposure. Areas in the Northern Cape contain tangible reminders of their asbestos past, with tracts of asbestos waste and tailings littering the towns and countryside. Although the victims and the mining were all in South Africa, the key decisions were taken in Britain by Cape plc. They had the power to protect the victims, were fully aware of conditions at the mines and had the final say in the operations.