Abandoned S. Africa Mine a ‘Catastrophe,’ Rights Group Say
- Blyvooruitzicht site maintenance ceased after liquidation
- Residents exposed to radioactive dust, raw sewage in streets
The Blyvooruitzicht gold mine.
Photographer: Dean Hutton/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The closing of the Blyvooruitzicht gold mine in South Africa resulted in a humanitarian “catastrophe” and the government must protect the rights of residents who were neglected, according to advocacy groups.
The mine, about 80 kilometers (56 miles) west of Johannesburg, started production in 1942 and was operated by companies including DRDGold Ltd. and Village Main Reef Ltd. before going into liquidation in 2013. Lawyers for Human Rights, based in Johannesburg, and the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights, gathered data from about 300 households in the area and found that 60 percent of them said they didn’t have enough to eat or the ability to support their children.