Blue death lurks in the homes and hills long after end of mining
By Lucas Ledwaba on 16 April 2023
As a result of the failure to conduct proper rehabilitation in areas where asbestos mining was conducted, generations of people living in areas that were close to the mines are still faced with the daily danger of contracting asbestosis and mesothelioma. Photo: Lucas Ledwaba
In another time the hills around Mafefe resonated with the crashing sound of chisel and hammer as hundreds of men and women mined asbestos. Extraction of the deadly mineral in the village located about 50km east of the town of Lebowakgomo in Limpopo province ceased almost 50 years ago – but blue asbestos fibres are still everywhere – causing sickness and death.
Yet, even those who never worked on the mines, and those born long after the extraction ceased, still face the risk of dying from inhaling fibres from the deadly mineral.
Brothers Amon and Diliza Sibiya have never worked on an asbestos mine but both now live with deadly lung diseases caused by exposure to the mineral.
In November 2022, their mother Eslina Sibiya, who also never worked on the mines, died from mesothelioma, an incurable lung cancer caused by long-term exposure to asbestos fibres. Diliza (62) was diagnosed with asbestosis in 2014 while he was employed on a platinum mine. Two years later he was laid off from work and is now battling to make ends meet.
His younger brother Amon (57) now depends on an inhaler that was prescribed by Lebowakgomo Hospital. He was not told the nature of his illness, but he struggles to breathe, especially during cold weather. He coughs constantly and struggles to perform certain tasks.
The hills around Mafefe are quiet now but deadly furrows and tunnels where blue asbestos was mined over 50 years ago remain exposed. Blue asbestos fibres can travel up to 100 km and cause the deadly, incurable lung cancer mesothelioma if they land on a person’s lungs. Photo: Lucas Ledwaba
“Asbestos is everywhere around us. The house we grew up in was built from bricks made from asbestos. Every morning, when I sweep the floor, I find it all over the place,” Amon says, pointing to a break in the wall where asbestos is exposed.
He still sleeps in one of the old houses built with material salvaged from asbestos dumps. Not far from the house stands the ruin of an old store. Rubble from the structure lies exposed along a path where children sometimes play.
Residents still draw water from rivers that flow past the hills where asbestos mining once thrived decades ago. During the rainy season blue asbestos deposits flow down into the river from the hills where miners once blasted and extracted the mineral. Photo: Lucas Ledwaba
“When we were young we played on asbestos dumps. We did not know it was dangerous. We played football on fields that were topped up with dust from the mines,” says Amon.
“We thought it was a gift from God, not knowing that we were playing with death.”
A rock containing deposits of blue asbestos. The rocks are scattered everywhere in the area posing a huge risk to citizens who inhale dust containing the mineral everyday. Photo: Lucas LedwabaThe Sibiya family home like many others in Mafefe was built with material salvaged from an asbestos mining dump in the 1960s. The family martriach Eslina Sibiya who never worked on the mines died from mesothelioma in November 2022. Photo: Lucas LedwabaDiliza Sibiya (62) was diagnosed with asbestosis in 2014 while he was employed on a platinum mine. Two years later he was laid off from work and is now battling to make ends meet. Photo: Lucas LedwabaAmon Sibiya never worked on the asbestos mines in Mafefe but now lives with a terrible lung condition that requires him to use an inhaler prescribed in hospital. Photo: Lucas LedwabaKgoroba Pienaar Makola worked on an asbestos mine for four years from 1969 to 1972. He left to seek greener pastures in Johannesburg due to the low pay there. He was not aware of the dangers posed by asbestos until in the late 80s. His house was built with material from an asbestos mine. He has lost count of the number of people who have died from asbestosis. Photo: Lucas LedwabaChewa Linah Nkuna’s is built on an asbestos mine dump in Mafefe. The asbestos flakes are easily visible around her homestead and she suffers from chest pains and has trouble breathing. Her father who worked on the mines died from effects of being exposed to the mineral. Her mother who never worked on the mines is now living with chest pains and struggles to breathe. She fears she may also have the dreaded disease that killed her husband. Photo: Lucas LedwabaA child walks past a hill where many years ago miners extracted asbestos. The hills around the village of Mafefe are dotted with many exposed sites where mining of the deadly material took place decades ago. Photo: Lucas LedwabaAn abandoned building which was built with bricks made from asbestos dust poses a risk to residents including children who play nearby on a daily basis. Attempts to rid the village of the curse of asbestos have been dogged by red tape and alleged corruption. Photo: Lucas LedwabaKgoroba Pienaar Makola keeps documents detailing the medical history of his uncle who died from mesothelioma. He worked on the mines in Mafefe and got sick decades after their closure. Makola has tried getting compensation for his suffering but his efforts have not been succesful. Photo: Lucas Ledwaba
Be First to Comment