Zambians 'Poisoned' by Lead Mine Reach Landmark in Legal Battle

A class action lawsuit targeting mining giant Anglo American over health problems allegedly caused by lead mines in central Zambia will hear who can participate in the case in November. The legal challenge filed in South Africa accuses the British-listed mining company of effectively poisoning villages in Kabwe, north of the capital Lusaka.

"The way in which the mining operations were conducted in such close proximity to residents has resulted in huge levels of contamination of the soil," says Richard Meeran, solicitor for Leigh Day in London, adding that this "resulted in poisoning of the population, in particular young children".

In 2020, human rights lawyers filed a class action suit against Anglo American on behalf of over 100,000 people in the Kabwe district who are believed to have been poisoned. The suit alleged that much of this toxic legacy stems from the five decades between 1924 and 1975 when the Kabwe lead mine was at least a partially-owned Anglo asset.

The claimants, mostly young children, are suffering from alarming levels of lead poisoning which, depending on various factors, causes a range of significant conditions. These include psychological, intellectual and behavioural damage, to serious and permanent physical damage to their organs, neurological systems and fertility. In extreme cases, serious brain damage and death.