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A. Industries and industrial areas
South Africa is a reasonably prosperous country, especially if measured against African standards. An investigation into the prevalence of minerals and raw materials that are derived from the fishing industry, agriculture and forestry will indicate that these are the origins of our prosperity.
The products of our mining industry, and the raw materials referred to above, are processed in factories in order to add value to primary products and in the process, ultimately to create prosperity in the country. The numerous work opportunities that are created in factories, and the wages and salaries that are earned by factory staff, help to produce greater wealth among all sections of the population.
IS THERE MORE TO INDUSTRY THAN MERE ADVANTAGE?
In South Africa, as in most other countries in Africa, there is great unemployment. Any steps that are taken to create employment are welcomed. At one stage the Ceres group wanted to donate land to a fruit canning company in order to create jobs and increase productivity.
However, it would be foolish to do everything in one’s power to utilise the country’s raw materials as speedily as possible and to forget about the people and the environment.
In man’s endeavours to make money out of mining and agriculture, he does a great deal of good, but some of his decisions do not take the best interests of the people and the environment into consideration. One frequently reads and hears about court cases that are made against governments and companies in order to call them to account for past wrongs.
The countries in eastern Europe that were under the rule of the USSR for about 40 years before they took control of their own affairs in 1990 are good examples of how a government can ruin a country. At a certain stage the smoke from thousands of factories in these countries contained so many harmful substances that the trees started to die. Effluent that was spilled into the Rhine, Europe’s largest river, began destroying many kinds of plant and animal life in the early 1970s.
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What was the plan that was devised?
B. The influence of industries
It is not only nature that is influenced by industries, but also the people who work in the industries.
Study the newspaper reports and complete the questionnaire:
Report 1
Asbestosis victim blames unicity of dragging their feet
Helen Coetzee
CAPE TOWN - The unicity is dragging its feet while employees at the Athlone power station are suffering from lung cancer and asbestosis that they developed from inhaling asbestos fibre.
Translated from Die Burger, 26 June 2001
Report 2
Prieska speculates about who lie buried at the mine dump
PRIESKA - Between 200 and 250 unmarked graves have been found on a hill adjacent to a mine dump at the Glen Alan open-pit mine. At the same time the communities here have been preparing for a protest march against the effect of asbestos.
The protest march in the Northern Cape is intended to exert pressure on the British House of Lords to allow a court case involving the legal claims of 3 000 South African victims of asbestosis to be heard in Britain. They are claiming compensation from Cape, formerly the largest asbestos company in the world.
Translated from Die Burger, 26 December 1999
Report 3
Pollution real problem in Hong Kong
Hong Kong - This city was shrouded in thick smog once again on Thursday and pollution levels were dangerously high for the second day running. Notice boards along the roads registered “very high levels” and advised people with heart and lung problems to stay indoors.
On Wednesday the Air pollution Index, which measures pollution particles in the air, recorded a level of 170. This is the highest since March 2000 when the level went up to 174. Recent studies show that pollution has caused approximately 17 500 people to be hospitalised for treatment. - (Sapa-DPA)
Report 4
Peasants angry with mine companies
LIMA (Peru) - Approximately 1 000 peasants arrived in the city last Monday after a journey on foot that lasted seven days. They demanded government action against what they described as the “pollution or confiscation of land by large mining companies”.
“We are not against mining development, but we want local communities to be consulted in the matter,” said Mr Miguel Palacin, leader of the pressure group that is acting on behalf of 1 135 communities.
“The government is not at all interested in listening to our problems. The problem is that the mining companies pollute our land and our rivers, and undermine our health,” Palacin said. An official of the ministry of mines and energy said that the government would investigate the matter. - (Reuters)
1. Write a short sentence to summarise the problem that is addressed in each newspaper report.
2. Discuss the following statements:
The location of industries causes certain groups to be more exposed to unhealthy conditions than others.
Many beautiful pieces of furniture in wealthy homes may have made the world poorer.
The management of a mine has a responsibility towards its employees to identify and address the hazards to which they are exposed over a period of time.
3. Talk to your local doctor to find out exactly what kinds of disease are generally contracted by mineworkers.
4. Are there any precautionary measures that mining management can put in place in order to limit to the minimum the health risks run by mineworkers? (Class discussion)
C. The role of asbestos mines in asbestosis
Asbestos has been mined in South Africa since the beginning of the 20th century. By 1910 five asbestos mines were operating in our country. Although other countries took precautions against the harmful effects caused by asbestos, South Africa initially did nothing to inform workers about the dangers of asbestos.
Even today there are mines where children play in polluted areas.
Asbestosis
Unfortunately there is no cure for asbestosis. Doctors can only alleviate the symptoms.
A patient must avoid any contact with asbestos, and immediately refrain from smoking. The lung infection must be treated aggressively.
Asbestosis patients must avoid catching colds or influenza at all costs.
Asbestos has been mined in this country for many years. By 1910 five asbestos mines were operating in South Africa. By the 1950’s, in other parts of the world such as Britain, companies have become aware that exposure to asbestos is harmful to human health and causes disease. In South Africa this realisation was not embraced so workers continued to remain ignorant of the true dangers of asbestos.
In South Africa the problem is more acute in the Limpopo Province and Northern Cape where reports indicate that children are forever playing on asbestos polluted and contaminated grounds. South Africa must come to term with the fact that we have an asbestos industry. The challenge is to ensure that all parts of the asbestos chain, from mining to ultimately removal and waste disposal, are handled in a responsible manner to avoid pollution that could be harmful to both the environment and the people.
Looking at the policy approach, the precautionary principle is a key part of South Africa’s environmental management policy. This means that our approach to development and good environmental governance is that where any risks exists, we need to focus our energies on preventive action to counteract any possible harm that could result from such development action.
However, the overall government policy on asbestos is till in its infancy. It is against this policy background that I must announce my profound appreciation of the efforts undertaken by government departments to deal with identified sources of asbestos problem. The Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) has started to deal with the mine dumps, but the issue of secondary pollution into nearby villages still remains unresolved. It is of course unsatisfactory that the mining companies that made huge profits have simply disappeared and did not contribute to this effort.
Since 1996, the National Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs and Tourism took the initiative to investigate the impacts of asbestos within South Africa. The effects of asbestos are felt throughout the country, en every province, either through having mines or mine dumps in their provinces or through the use of asbestos products by consumers in general. Ex-workers and other sufferers of asbestos related diseases contracted due to environmental exposure are also not confined to one particular region but extend beyond our borders. http://www.pmg.org.za
Answer the following questions after you have discussed the contents of the speech as a group.
1. Does the government do enough to address the dangers of asbestos?
2. What is currently being done in South Africa to combat the negative effects of asbestos?
3. What else can be done to protect the inhabitants of the country against the dangers of asbestos?
LO 3
EXPLORING ISSUES
The learner will be able to make informed decisions about social and environmental issues and problems.
We know this when the learner:
3.1 identifies challenges to societies and settlements, with a focus on the spread of diseases [identify the issue];
3.2 explains the factors that cause some people to be more at risk of disease than others [factors affecting the issue];
3.3 suggests the best way, from a range of alternatives, to reduce risks of disease [makes choices].
ACTIVITY 1
ACTIVITY 2
1.
Report 1: Employee ill due to job environment
Report 2: Deathes sue to job environment covered up
Report 3: Pollution causes health deterioration
Report 4: Mines pollute soil and rivers
2.
ACTIVITY 3
1.
2.
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