South Africa was once one of the world's top producers of asbestos; a history that has marred its future. For, although asbestos mining ceased here in the mid-1980s, people are still being diagnosed with ARDs like mesothelioma and asbestosis on a regular basis. To make matters worse, unsecured sites continue to pose a risk.

In the small, northern cape towns, tens of thousands of people are reported to be suffering from ARDs and, in the past half-dozen years, foreign-owned mining companies have paid out tens of millions of dollars in settlements to an estimated 10,000 South African victims of their activities. A typical pay-out to a mesothelioma sufferer is $4,000 (28,000 rand).

What price life?

Asbestos Disease Cripples SA Mining Towns