Anglo to defend class action lawsuit filed on behalf of 100 000 Zambians

JOHANNESBURG – Anglo American South Africa (Aasa) is being sued in a class action filed on behalf of more than 100 000 residents of Zambia’s Kabwe district who were believed to have been poisoned by lead.

Mbuyisa Moleele and Leigh Day attorneys said yesterday that they had filed the class-action lawsuit in the hight court in Gauteng.

Leigh Day attorneys is no stranger to class lawsuits and was involved in the silicosis litigation against the mining firm. In 2018, Anglo and five other companies paid about R5 billion to settle the lawsuit.

Aasa said on Wednesday that it noted the reports of the class action, and the company would defend its position.

The lawsuit alleges that Aasa, which managed and controlled the Kabwe lead mine between 1925 and 1974, was liable for substantial emissions of lead into the local environment due to deficiencies in the design and systems of operation and control of the lead that Aasa failed to ensure were rectified.