Anglo American CEO Says Mine Is Not Responsible For Lead Poisoning

The Chief Executive of Anglo American, Mark Cutifani, says his company is not responsible for lead poisoning in Kabwe town, which scientists say is having ‘devastating effects’ on the neurological development of children. 

Anglo American operated a mine in Kambwe between 1925 and 1975. 

The company says it will defend itself in court after London-based lawyers Leigh Day and South Africa’s Mbuyisa Moleele filed a class action suit against the mine on behalf of Kabwe citizens. 

“We intend to defend our position as we don’t believe Anglo American is responsible for the current situation,” Mr Cutifani said during the presentation of the company’s sustainability report.

The suit alleges that as many as 100,000 children and women of childbearing age in Kabwe are likely to have suffered lead poisoning as a result of the pollution caused by Anglo. 

The prosecution argue that Anglo American did not rectify design deficiencies which caused the lead emissions and then failed to ensure a clean-up of the contaminated land before the mine was taken over by state-owned ZCCM in 1974. 

A 2019 report by Human Rights Watch found that more than a third of people in Kabwe lived in lead-contaminated townships as a result of the mine’s negligence. 

Prolonged exposure to lead can impair children’s growth, damage organs including the liver and brain, and increase the risk of miscarriage among women.