Anglo American, the financial conglomerate that owns companies such as the diamond company De Beers, is the target of a lawsuit in which it is accused of poisoning 140,000 Zambians with lead. The lawsuit targets a South African subsidiary and could become one of the largest class actions ever undertaken in Africa, the site is developing. traffic light.

The case was brought by human rights lawyers, representing 12 Zambian women and children from villages close to the Kabwe lead mine, in Zambia, north of the capital, Lusaka.

According to the lawsuit cited by Semaphore, the lawyers assert that the villages around the mine operated by Anglo American have some of the highest levels of lead pollution in the world, and it is estimated that some 140,000 Zambian women and children suffer from health problems resulting from the poisoning. The diseases we see include brain damage, developmental disabilities, and life-threatening organ damage.

The lawsuit, which is being heard in a Johannesburg court, alleges that lead from the mine settled in the city’s soil, vegetation and waterways, posing a grave danger to successive generations for decades.

Anglo American has a value of $ 60 billion, headquartered in the United Kingdom since 1999, after merging with Minorco, and has mining activities in Africa, Europe, South America, North America and Australia, and employs about 87 thousand people.