BRITISH MULTINATIONAL ACCUSED OF POISONING ZAMBIAN TOWN

Residents of Kabwe, a Zambian town, are locked in a legal battle with British mining giant Anglo-American corporation, which they accuse of turning their hometown into what the UN and other organisations have described as one of the most toxic places in the world. The residents want the mining giant to pay for the damage caused to their health and town, but Anglo-American insists that it bears no responsibility for the calamity. In the first round of the legal dispute, a South African judge presiding over the case ruled in favour of the mining firm. However, the Kabwe residents say they have no intention of letting the company get away with what they see as an environmental injustice and have since appealed the ruling.

The Kabwe case is not isolated. From the poisoned rivers of Ghana to the cobalt fields of the DRC, from the uranium mines of Niger to the oil-soaked soil of the Niger Delta - legal accountability is rare. Many foreign mining firms have been sued over the years but the cases are often dismissed on technicalities or dragged out until plaintiffs die. Even when won, the compensation is paltry compared with the billions made from Africa’s mineral wealth. As for now, Africans are paying the price for Western conveniences, often with their lives.

African Stream's Clinton Nzala picks up on the Kabwe story.

Sources

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/20/mining-giant-turned-blind-eye-to-lead-poisoning-in-zambia

https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132627

https://www.childrenofkabwe.com/health-impact-of-lead#key-medical-research

https://www.angloamerican.com/media/press-releases/2024/22-04-2024

https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/03/05/poisonous-profit/lead-waste-mining-and-childrens-right-healthy-environment-kabwe