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The asbestosis case against the British mining company, Cape PLC, may have been won but the battle against asbestos pollution carries on. There are huge asbestos mine dumps around the country, with 82 in the Northern Cape alone. Richard Meeran, the British lawyer who helped asbestosis victims win their case, is visiting South Africa, where he has held meetings with affected communities. Now that the media attention has moved away from the high courts of London, the real work of rehabilitating derelict asbestos mines is expected to start in earnest. The bill is expected to come to more than R100 million. In terms of international law, Cape PLC, as the polluter, had to clean its dumps. The company said it could not afford to pay R346 million in compensation and clean up the environment; it asked the South African government to do that instead. Eko-rehab, a government body focussing on environmental pollution, was formed over two years ago. It was supposed to come up with ways to control asbestos pollution. Communities living in former mining areas are still waiting to hear about their action plans.
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