South Africa :Threads of Death
November 2002 2500
Intro Presenter: 10 02 17 19
Hello and welcome to another Special Assignment thank you for joining us again I am Anneliese Burgess. Tomorrow the World Summit on Sustainable Development comes to an end here in Johannesburg. Many have said this conference and the decisions taken there are the worlds last hope to stop destroying its self. But in the Northern Cape theres a community that might be forgiven for asking what he summit has brought them. For years the people of Kuruman have been living with the deadly effects of asbestos that was mined here some years ago. Now they want to be compensated for the horrendous environmental damage the mines have left in their wake and for the diseases and deaths they say have followed. They are now preparing to sue the company involved and Mpho Moagi and cameraman Roy Freeman got the story. 10 03 07 05
Visuals: mine dumps
UPS JANIE:
I cant sleep at night, every night theres not one night where I havent got pain and its enormous pain. I live on painkillers, I cant breathe normal 10 03 26 01
==========Title: Thread of Death ==============
Subtitle: report by MPHO MOAGI
Visuals of wedding and Janie singing
10 03 42 00 - V/O 1: This is Janie Roodt and his friend, Hennie at a wedding. Janie is a prominent businessman, a father and a husband. Hes well liked and respected by the community of Kuruman in the Northern Cape.
He is also a dedicated Christian but he is ill, he has been diagnosed with mesothelioma; a cancer of the lung lining.
10 04 00 09 - UPS JANIE
The last year everyday was a suffering for me, everyday I get up. I am tired at times, sometimes I cant get up I have to stay in bed because I havent got the power.
V/O 2
Janie worked in asbestos mines near Kuruman when he was young. He built ventilation system. Thirty years later he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. It can take up to 40 years for this disease to develop.
10 04 26 16 UPS JANIE
My greatest fear is living my family behind, Ive made provisions for them and I know that they will be looked after. But I am still young and if I didnt get this disease I could have spent another 10 or 15 years with them.
V/O 3 and visuals of singing at the church
A month after this interview Janie Roodt died. Leaving his wife Hannelie and kids he was only 49 years old.
Most people in the Kalahari town of Kuruman have seen death for times.
Today Janie Roodt takes this road alone like many who worked on the asbestos mines before him Today they lie in cemeteries all over Kuruman.
Nearly everyone here can count at least three people they know who died from asbestos exposure. Many fear that they too and those they love will end up here.
V/O 4: (Visual: history)
In South Africa asbestos was first discovered near Prieska and Kuruman in the late 1880s. In desperate need of work, thousands were drawn to the area.
This footage shows the complete lack of safety in those days. Workers were totally ignorant of the health hazards they faced.
In the Northern Cape Province mainly blue asbestos was mined. Locals call it garang because it looks like cotton thread.
Of all them blue asbestos is the most dangerous. Its needle-like shape, has the potential to sting a human lung and stay there. While brown and white asbestos can create cancer of the lung and asbestosis blue asbestos causes the most lethal cancer of them all, mesothelioma.
A number of multi-nationals once owned these mines. They finally landed up in the hands of Gefco a subsidiary of Gencor then in 1989 Gencor sold all its shares to Gefco. Gefco in turn sold its mines to the South African Government.
10 06 43 00
Asbestos was used all over the world for products like water pipes, roofs and brake pads on cars.
30 kilometres from Kuruman is Ga-Mopedi village. Most people here were employed by South African asbestos mining company Gefco.
In 1996 when the last asbestos mine was closed many like these miners were left unemployed and ill from asbestos exposure.
10 07 10 22 - UPS: ETHAANG
It was very dusty at the plant where I worked. But we never knew that this was bad for our health. We were working and everything was fine. We would knock off in those dusty clothes...and go to the hostel and take them off. There would be asbestos fibres everywhere. Yet we still didn't know that asbestos was dangerous.
10 07 43 09 visuals of kitchen
V/O 5
Gabainewe Ethaang has six children. He is diagnosed with second-degree asbestosis. This disease is caused by breathing in fine dust asbestos, which causes a reaction in the lung.
Ethaang worked for Gefco 29 years mining the blue asbestos. Today he is 60 no one works in his family all rely on his state pension.
UPS ETHAANG:
I can't work at all. I don't have any income. I can't run, I can't walk for any length of time.
Visuals of Ethaang and family
I am very sad because my kids have a difficult life. When I die, what will happen to them? Will they end up as beggars? Being used by people? It's not supposed to be like that. I am not happy because the people who made me ill...have left and are living happily in their homes. They haven't given me anything. 10 08 54 11
V/O 6
Six kilometres from Ethaangs house lies an un-rehabilitated asbestos dump. The wind blows in the direction of the village (Village next to mine dump Ethaang walking to mine dump close up of asbestos fibres). Almost every day villagers breathe the asbestos polluted air. Ethaang is concerned and angry that his kids lives are compromised, he fears that they too will end up ill like him.
10 09 15 06
There are many in this village who are ill from asbestos exposure. One of them is Ethaangs friend John Seleke. He too is diagnosed with a lung cancer, mesothelioma. It took only a year of working with blue asbestos for John to get sick. He may not live another year.
10 09 34 12 UPS JOHN
My life is ending before my eyes. I don't see a life I just see a walking corpse. (Visuals of John showing scars). The pains that I am feeling are too much. I can walk, yet I do feel it that I am not well. I am different from other people I can feel that my days are coming to an end. Where are your pains? At night I sweat a lot, its as if someone has poured water on me. Its very painful where they operated. When its cloudy its as if someone is pricking me with needles.
V/O 7 - (Shots of Ethaang, friend and Seleke in the yard where it was an old storage mill picking up asbestos fibres).
Johns house was built where blue asbestos was once stored. In his yard blue asbestos fibres are everywhere. His kids and family walks and plays on this ground everyday. His house is not the only one like this in this village. (Close up of asbestos fibres) 10 10 27 21
V/O 8
The community of Kuruman has decided to take action. They want to do something about the pollution and the increasing number of people that die from asbestos exposure. They are suing Gefco. To do this many go to Moffat Mission where their lawyers operate. Not only ex-miners come here but the families of those who died.
Kgosi Emaang once worked for Gefcor. He says he too has asbestosis. These miners say that the state compensation for their illness is not enough, they also want Gefco to pay
10 11 07 24 - UPS: KGOSI EMAANG 1
I was using the same threads that you see in asbestos to build houses. I would breathe it everyday. Here these are my papers. My doctors compiled them. They would send them off somewhere to get my information. When I gave them the papers I made copies for my self so that I can have evidence. These are my childrens future. After I die, my wife can take them and she can go with them to the place where I used to work. If they are honest, they will get what is rightfully mine.
10 11 56 21 V/O 9
Ferioz Williams is a field lawyer as in Kgosi Emaangs case she has encouraged many to bring all their documents She is here to start a database all possible claimants she says that her main challenge is that most of her clients are old and illiterate.
UPS: FERIOZA
What we do with the registration process is that we take down their details which will be documented, which will have for future. Where we get information on whether they have been certified, their medical benefits examinations. Whether they have gone for that, their work history.
10 12 35 09 V/O 10
If they win their case this lawyer has planned to set up a fund for those who worked on the mines and are ill. This is not the only issue, occupational lawyer Richard Spoor says his clients are not only suing Gefcor for their health but also for the damage done by the asbestos mining and the dumps left behind.
10 12 07 05 (Visuals of dumps)
UPS: RICHARD SPOOR
There has been environmental pollution and devastation on a scale thats unmatched anywhere in the world. We are talking about millions of tons of a deadly and very resilient fibre. The clean up process focuses very much on the old mines and the old dumps. But to date there has been virtually no effort at all to clean up the broader environmental pollution, which poses a very serious health risk to neighbouring communities.
From our perspective Gencors responsibility is open-ended. They havent addressed the pollution, they havent cleaned up the mess that they have created. People are being exposed on a daily basis, from the day they finally clean up the mess in the Northern Cape. Well from that day we can start counting down 50 years to when well see the last case. But until and unless they clean up people will continue to become sick indefinitely.
10 14 13 07
V/O 11
Gefcor refused to grant us an interview, they say they are involved in a court action ellitigation around this matter. To date there are no statistics on the exact number of ex-miners who were exposed and are ill from blue asbestos. Many have gone back home to the rural areas and others have died.
10 14 39 17 AD BREAK
=============PART 2=========================
V/O 12:
There are asbestos mines in many parts of South Africa, a number of them are not rehabilitated. Its taken more than ten years for the people of Kuruman to finally see a sight like this Witbank mine is being rehabilitated by the governments contracted company Eko-Rehab. They say it will take another 12 months of hard work to finish this project. To rehabilitate this mine alone will cost the state 12,7 million rand.
10 15 16 13 - UPS: JOHANN BOOYSEN
We do create any of our initial stages of rehabilitation literally a volcano or fibre into the air. Theres no other way to do it the best we try is suppress the problem is keep the areas that we physically work as wet as possible. We cant do it to the ideal but we do it as best as we can under the circumstances. We are not ignoring it. Our methodology is purely an intention to bring the system to back to its original condition. What we are going to do here is combine the two copies by first reshaping the dump. Its slopes will be the natural angle of the copies and it will following the gap between the copies so that it becomes one extended copy and will have the look of one little mountain, and it should blend in. It will be a grazing area once were finished.
V/O 13
Once this dump has been rehabilitated it will be monitored for 5 years. Ecologist and pollution experts have to visit this site every six months. For rehabilitation to be a success the soil should not erode and plants should have grown. Their challenge is teaching the community to keep away from the site until its back to its original state.
10 16 37 08
V/O 14:
Heiningvlei another village near Kuruman. For this community proper rehabilitation cannot come soon enough. This is Maphalawane Primary School there are 51 learners from grade 1 to grade 4. Most are between 7 and 11years old.
This school is built on an old asbestos mine dumps. These learners are not aware of the dangers of asbestos fibres found all over. They play carelessly in the contaminated soil and breathe polluted air.
The school building is also built with asbestos bricks. According to records the dump was rehabilitated 20 years ago by Gefco its previous owners. Yet fibres have found their way out from the storage facility.
UPS: DORA BAREKI: PRINCIPAL
I didn't know that asbestos could kill you. Especially if you didnt work on the mines. I thought that if the dumps were covered they couldnt kill anyone. I thought it was only miners who got affected.
10 17 44 21
V/O 15:
The dump was once covered with a thin layer of gravel. Over time the soil has eroded leaving this dump exposed and releasing the deadly fibres back into the air of Heiningvlei.
V/O 16:
10 18 02 04 - Visuals of Janie and wife
A year ago musician Janie Roodt died of mesothelioma. His wife Hannelie says she knew that one day she would have accept his death but she says it will take eternity to come to terms with him not being there.
UPS: HANNELIE
The little one reminds you of her father all the time. Wheres my dad? I want to go to my dad. How do you explain to such a little one where her dad is? He's with Jesus...he's the star. When it gets dark, she runs outside and says that bright star is my daddy. That keeps one attached...you keep thinking of the pain. But I have many memories...many memories. He kept on deteriorating all the time. His weight dropped drastically. He was on pills, he had to use pain killers all day. Eventually we put the oxygen bottle by his bed. It got to a stage that you had to open it completely...and he still couldn't breathe. We were scared his lungs would get too used to the oxygen. You didnt want to open it too much. Then he'd say "Open up! I cant get air! I will never forget the last week in the hospital in Bloemfontein and I can't, it stays in my mind's eye. It was a Wednesday morning twenty to five...the hospital phoned and said I should come. I walked into the hospital and stood next him. His feet were swollen, his hands were swollen. I took off his ring, took off his watch and I took his hand and I said I AM WITH YOU. He just lifted his eyes...he did this...and then he closed his eyes and it was over.
10 20 08 12
V/O 17:
Like Janie Roodt many patients with mesothelioma end up in Rosepark Hospital in Bloemfontein. There they are treated by Dr Verwoed.
UPS: DR.VERWOED
Any patient thats coughing chronically over a period of time and doesnt respond to any treatment should have a chest X-ray. If your in the Western Cape we may assume that it maybe TB most probably, in Northern Cape we feel that you may assume that maybe mesothelioma.
V/O 18 - 10 20 42 02 (Visuals CT Scan)
Its difficult to diagnose mesothelioma, if an X-ray is not enough to tell how far a cancer has spread patients are given a CTscan. X-rays only take photographs of the whole lung while the CTscan provides more detailed information on sections of the lung.
UPS: DR VERWOED
This is a CT scan. The patient is lying on his back thats his vertebra thats the ribs, thats shoulder blades. This is the normal right side on the left side there is more odensity there is even mass on the margin and the lung is clearly smaller on the other side. So this is very suggestive of a thick membrane all around most probably because of his asbestos history and mesothelioma. In the end stages they cant breath at all, the lungs are completely unfunctional. They can have severe chest pains because of infiltration of the cancer. And usually at that stage its terminal. There is nothing to be done.
V/O 19:
Last year James Renoster died from mesothelioma. He too was doctor Verwoed patient. After a diagnoses a patient generally lives up to 18months. James only survived another 12. When he died his daughter Yolanda and his wife were there.
10 22 15 15 - UPS ENNA
Its indescribable how a person has to strive and struggle to live. His breath was very short. Everyday the children and I had to watch, we had to look at that man we didnt recognise, lying on that bed. He was terribly swollen and at one stage he started bringing up blood.
UPS YOLANDA
His walk deteriorated. He couldnt walk anymore and just lay down. Then my mother I admire mother so much shed pick him up and lift him forward. So we carried on but what was bad was the night when I saw him take his last breath. Its a dangerous disease I dont understand it, but its not good. I still have my mother and the way I feel now my mother supports me a lot, I talk to her a lot, but I need a father too.
UPS ENNA
In the room where he died if I feel depressed and sad if I sit there then it comes back. You see what which happened on important days, like his birthday, fathers days, when we sat alone at the table to eat. We miss him a lot.
UPS YOLANDA
On Fridays wed know that hed be coming home at five. And wed wait. At times Id go and stand at the gate and Id forget hes not coming home. He loved tea and Id make myself tea and take out his cup too then I remember hes not here anymore.
10 24 26 17
UPS ENNA
Its difficult for me Im more often in the cemetery than in my home because when I feel depressed I go to his grave, and I sit there I know it may not change anything.
V/O 20:
Kuruman Hospital is in the heart of the problem it has no lung specialist only community doctors. It has no way of providing correct diagnosis for a suspected victim of asbestos.
UPS:AGBESI
Apart from HIV/AIDS and TB the third killer disease in our Kalahari area is asbestosis. It really pains me that my colleague who died recently from this disease never had any proper check up all his lifetime. If there were mechanisms in place I believe this mans life would have been long saved.
10 25 33 07 - V/O 21:
George Bacana is a laundry supervisor at the hospital. He regularly performs autopsies but he is not paid to do them. He learnt how to from a former doctor.
UPS: GEORGE
Asbestos scares me because my wife has it. I am scared because the doctor said I might get it.
Ups: George counting
V/O 22:
George performs autopsies to help families establish cause of death so they can get compensation. He keeps his own statistics of how many are suspected of asbestos related diseases. There are many.
Virginia Letsholo is 47 years old a certified mesothelioma case. She worked at Gefco for only two year, from 1978 to 1980. 22 years ago she stopped sorting blue asbestos at Gefco. She only realised now that she is dying. She is a mother of six. Her youngest son is nearly 2 years old. She does not have long to live, mesothelioma produces water in her lung. She will drown in her own fluids.
10 26 57 04 UPS VIRGINIA
Morning, noon and night its all the same. Sometimes I sleep in well at night like yesterday. I did not wake up. Sometimes I do not sleep because of the coughs and pains. I am not well, I am very ill. I do not know what is wrong with me. Its not nice being ill and not knowing exactly what is killing me. I also did not know that asbestos was dangerous. Right now I will leave my kids while they are still young. Who will take care of them? Im so sick I may and I may not wake up the next morning.
========================END========================
CREDITS AND OUTRO (PRESENTER)
November 2002 2500
Intro Presenter: 10 02 17 19
Hello and welcome to another Special Assignment thank you for joining us again I am Anneliese Burgess. Tomorrow the World Summit on Sustainable Development comes to an end here in Johannesburg. Many have said this conference and the decisions taken there are the worlds last hope to stop destroying its self. But in the Northern Cape theres a community that might be forgiven for asking what he summit has brought them. For years the people of Kuruman have been living with the deadly effects of asbestos that was mined here some years ago. Now they want to be compensated for the horrendous environmental damage the mines have left in their wake and for the diseases and deaths they say have followed. They are now preparing to sue the company involved and Mpho Moagi and cameraman Roy Freeman got the story. 10 03 07 05
Visuals: mine dumps
UPS JANIE:
I cant sleep at night, every night theres not one night where I havent got pain and its enormous pain. I live on painkillers, I cant breathe normal 10 03 26 01
==========Title: Thread of Death ==============
Subtitle: report by MPHO MOAGI
Visuals of wedding and Janie singing
10 03 42 00 - V/O 1: This is Janie Roodt and his friend, Hennie at a wedding. Janie is a prominent businessman, a father and a husband. Hes well liked and respected by the community of Kuruman in the Northern Cape.
He is also a dedicated Christian but he is ill, he has been diagnosed with mesothelioma; a cancer of the lung lining.
10 04 00 09 - UPS JANIE
The last year everyday was a suffering for me, everyday I get up. I am tired at times, sometimes I cant get up I have to stay in bed because I havent got the power.
V/O 2
Janie worked in asbestos mines near Kuruman when he was young. He built ventilation system. Thirty years later he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. It can take up to 40 years for this disease to develop.
10 04 26 16 UPS JANIE
My greatest fear is living my family behind, Ive made provisions for them and I know that they will be looked after. But I am still young and if I didnt get this disease I could have spent another 10 or 15 years with them.
V/O 3 and visuals of singing at the church
A month after this interview Janie Roodt died. Leaving his wife Hannelie and kids he was only 49 years old.
Most people in the Kalahari town of Kuruman have seen death for times.
Today Janie Roodt takes this road alone like many who worked on the asbestos mines before him Today they lie in cemeteries all over Kuruman.
Nearly everyone here can count at least three people they know who died from asbestos exposure. Many fear that they too and those they love will end up here.
V/O 4: (Visual: history)
In South Africa asbestos was first discovered near Prieska and Kuruman in the late 1880s. In desperate need of work, thousands were drawn to the area.
This footage shows the complete lack of safety in those days. Workers were totally ignorant of the health hazards they faced.
In the Northern Cape Province mainly blue asbestos was mined. Locals call it garang because it looks like cotton thread.
Of all them blue asbestos is the most dangerous. Its needle-like shape, has the potential to sting a human lung and stay there. While brown and white asbestos can create cancer of the lung and asbestosis blue asbestos causes the most lethal cancer of them all, mesothelioma.
A number of multi-nationals once owned these mines. They finally landed up in the hands of Gefco a subsidiary of Gencor then in 1989 Gencor sold all its shares to Gefco. Gefco in turn sold its mines to the South African Government.
10 06 43 00
Asbestos was used all over the world for products like water pipes, roofs and brake pads on cars.
30 kilometres from Kuruman is Ga-Mopedi village. Most people here were employed by South African asbestos mining company Gefco.
In 1996 when the last asbestos mine was closed many like these miners were left unemployed and ill from asbestos exposure.
10 07 10 22 - UPS: ETHAANG
It was very dusty at the plant where I worked. But we never knew that this was bad for our health. We were working and everything was fine. We would knock off in those dusty clothes...and go to the hostel and take them off. There would be asbestos fibres everywhere. Yet we still didn't know that asbestos was dangerous.
10 07 43 09 visuals of kitchen
V/O 5
Gabainewe Ethaang has six children. He is diagnosed with second-degree asbestosis. This disease is caused by breathing in fine dust asbestos, which causes a reaction in the lung.
Ethaang worked for Gefco 29 years mining the blue asbestos. Today he is 60 no one works in his family all rely on his state pension.
UPS ETHAANG:
I can't work at all. I don't have any income. I can't run, I can't walk for any length of time.
Visuals of Ethaang and family
I am very sad because my kids have a difficult life. When I die, what will happen to them? Will they end up as beggars? Being used by people? It's not supposed to be like that. I am not happy because the people who made me ill...have left and are living happily in their homes. They haven't given me anything. 10 08 54 11
V/O 6
Six kilometres from Ethaangs house lies an un-rehabilitated asbestos dump. The wind blows in the direction of the village (Village next to mine dump Ethaang walking to mine dump close up of asbestos fibres). Almost every day villagers breathe the asbestos polluted air. Ethaang is concerned and angry that his kids lives are compromised, he fears that they too will end up ill like him.
10 09 15 06
There are many in this village who are ill from asbestos exposure. One of them is Ethaangs friend John Seleke. He too is diagnosed with a lung cancer, mesothelioma. It took only a year of working with blue asbestos for John to get sick. He may not live another year.
10 09 34 12 UPS JOHN
My life is ending before my eyes. I don't see a life I just see a walking corpse. (Visuals of John showing scars). The pains that I am feeling are too much. I can walk, yet I do feel it that I am not well. I am different from other people I can feel that my days are coming to an end. Where are your pains? At night I sweat a lot, its as if someone has poured water on me. Its very painful where they operated. When its cloudy its as if someone is pricking me with needles.
V/O 7 - (Shots of Ethaang, friend and Seleke in the yard where it was an old storage mill picking up asbestos fibres).
Johns house was built where blue asbestos was once stored. In his yard blue asbestos fibres are everywhere. His kids and family walks and plays on this ground everyday. His house is not the only one like this in this village. (Close up of asbestos fibres) 10 10 27 21
V/O 8
The community of Kuruman has decided to take action. They want to do something about the pollution and the increasing number of people that die from asbestos exposure. They are suing Gefco. To do this many go to Moffat Mission where their lawyers operate. Not only ex-miners come here but the families of those who died.
Kgosi Emaang once worked for Gefcor. He says he too has asbestosis. These miners say that the state compensation for their illness is not enough, they also want Gefco to pay
10 11 07 24 - UPS: KGOSI EMAANG 1
I was using the same threads that you see in asbestos to build houses. I would breathe it everyday. Here these are my papers. My doctors compiled them. They would send them off somewhere to get my information. When I gave them the papers I made copies for my self so that I can have evidence. These are my childrens future. After I die, my wife can take them and she can go with them to the place where I used to work. If they are honest, they will get what is rightfully mine.
10 11 56 21 V/O 9
Ferioz Williams is a field lawyer as in Kgosi Emaangs case she has encouraged many to bring all their documents She is here to start a database all possible claimants she says that her main challenge is that most of her clients are old and illiterate.
UPS: FERIOZA
What we do with the registration process is that we take down their details which will be documented, which will have for future. Where we get information on whether they have been certified, their medical benefits examinations. Whether they have gone for that, their work history.
10 12 35 09 V/O 10
If they win their case this lawyer has planned to set up a fund for those who worked on the mines and are ill. This is not the only issue, occupational lawyer Richard Spoor says his clients are not only suing Gefcor for their health but also for the damage done by the asbestos mining and the dumps left behind.
10 12 07 05 (Visuals of dumps)
UPS: RICHARD SPOOR
There has been environmental pollution and devastation on a scale thats unmatched anywhere in the world. We are talking about millions of tons of a deadly and very resilient fibre. The clean up process focuses very much on the old mines and the old dumps. But to date there has been virtually no effort at all to clean up the broader environmental pollution, which poses a very serious health risk to neighbouring communities.
From our perspective Gencors responsibility is open-ended. They havent addressed the pollution, they havent cleaned up the mess that they have created. People are being exposed on a daily basis, from the day they finally clean up the mess in the Northern Cape. Well from that day we can start counting down 50 years to when well see the last case. But until and unless they clean up people will continue to become sick indefinitely.
10 14 13 07
V/O 11
Gefcor refused to grant us an interview, they say they are involved in a court action ellitigation around this matter. To date there are no statistics on the exact number of ex-miners who were exposed and are ill from blue asbestos. Many have gone back home to the rural areas and others have died.
10 14 39 17 AD BREAK
=============PART 2=========================
V/O 12:
There are asbestos mines in many parts of South Africa, a number of them are not rehabilitated. Its taken more than ten years for the people of Kuruman to finally see a sight like this Witbank mine is being rehabilitated by the governments contracted company Eko-Rehab. They say it will take another 12 months of hard work to finish this project. To rehabilitate this mine alone will cost the state 12,7 million rand.
10 15 16 13 - UPS: JOHANN BOOYSEN
We do create any of our initial stages of rehabilitation literally a volcano or fibre into the air. Theres no other way to do it the best we try is suppress the problem is keep the areas that we physically work as wet as possible. We cant do it to the ideal but we do it as best as we can under the circumstances. We are not ignoring it. Our methodology is purely an intention to bring the system to back to its original condition. What we are going to do here is combine the two copies by first reshaping the dump. Its slopes will be the natural angle of the copies and it will following the gap between the copies so that it becomes one extended copy and will have the look of one little mountain, and it should blend in. It will be a grazing area once were finished.
V/O 13
Once this dump has been rehabilitated it will be monitored for 5 years. Ecologist and pollution experts have to visit this site every six months. For rehabilitation to be a success the soil should not erode and plants should have grown. Their challenge is teaching the community to keep away from the site until its back to its original state.
10 16 37 08
V/O 14:
Heiningvlei another village near Kuruman. For this community proper rehabilitation cannot come soon enough. This is Maphalawane Primary School there are 51 learners from grade 1 to grade 4. Most are between 7 and 11years old.
This school is built on an old asbestos mine dumps. These learners are not aware of the dangers of asbestos fibres found all over. They play carelessly in the contaminated soil and breathe polluted air.
The school building is also built with asbestos bricks. According to records the dump was rehabilitated 20 years ago by Gefco its previous owners. Yet fibres have found their way out from the storage facility.
UPS: DORA BAREKI: PRINCIPAL
I didn't know that asbestos could kill you. Especially if you didnt work on the mines. I thought that if the dumps were covered they couldnt kill anyone. I thought it was only miners who got affected.
10 17 44 21
V/O 15:
The dump was once covered with a thin layer of gravel. Over time the soil has eroded leaving this dump exposed and releasing the deadly fibres back into the air of Heiningvlei.
V/O 16:
10 18 02 04 - Visuals of Janie and wife
A year ago musician Janie Roodt died of mesothelioma. His wife Hannelie says she knew that one day she would have accept his death but she says it will take eternity to come to terms with him not being there.
UPS: HANNELIE
The little one reminds you of her father all the time. Wheres my dad? I want to go to my dad. How do you explain to such a little one where her dad is? He's with Jesus...he's the star. When it gets dark, she runs outside and says that bright star is my daddy. That keeps one attached...you keep thinking of the pain. But I have many memories...many memories. He kept on deteriorating all the time. His weight dropped drastically. He was on pills, he had to use pain killers all day. Eventually we put the oxygen bottle by his bed. It got to a stage that you had to open it completely...and he still couldn't breathe. We were scared his lungs would get too used to the oxygen. You didnt want to open it too much. Then he'd say "Open up! I cant get air! I will never forget the last week in the hospital in Bloemfontein and I can't, it stays in my mind's eye. It was a Wednesday morning twenty to five...the hospital phoned and said I should come. I walked into the hospital and stood next him. His feet were swollen, his hands were swollen. I took off his ring, took off his watch and I took his hand and I said I AM WITH YOU. He just lifted his eyes...he did this...and then he closed his eyes and it was over.
10 20 08 12
V/O 17:
Like Janie Roodt many patients with mesothelioma end up in Rosepark Hospital in Bloemfontein. There they are treated by Dr Verwoed.
UPS: DR.VERWOED
Any patient thats coughing chronically over a period of time and doesnt respond to any treatment should have a chest X-ray. If your in the Western Cape we may assume that it maybe TB most probably, in Northern Cape we feel that you may assume that maybe mesothelioma.
V/O 18 - 10 20 42 02 (Visuals CT Scan)
Its difficult to diagnose mesothelioma, if an X-ray is not enough to tell how far a cancer has spread patients are given a CTscan. X-rays only take photographs of the whole lung while the CTscan provides more detailed information on sections of the lung.
UPS: DR VERWOED
This is a CT scan. The patient is lying on his back thats his vertebra thats the ribs, thats shoulder blades. This is the normal right side on the left side there is more odensity there is even mass on the margin and the lung is clearly smaller on the other side. So this is very suggestive of a thick membrane all around most probably because of his asbestos history and mesothelioma. In the end stages they cant breath at all, the lungs are completely unfunctional. They can have severe chest pains because of infiltration of the cancer. And usually at that stage its terminal. There is nothing to be done.
V/O 19:
Last year James Renoster died from mesothelioma. He too was doctor Verwoed patient. After a diagnoses a patient generally lives up to 18months. James only survived another 12. When he died his daughter Yolanda and his wife were there.
10 22 15 15 - UPS ENNA
Its indescribable how a person has to strive and struggle to live. His breath was very short. Everyday the children and I had to watch, we had to look at that man we didnt recognise, lying on that bed. He was terribly swollen and at one stage he started bringing up blood.
UPS YOLANDA
His walk deteriorated. He couldnt walk anymore and just lay down. Then my mother I admire mother so much shed pick him up and lift him forward. So we carried on but what was bad was the night when I saw him take his last breath. Its a dangerous disease I dont understand it, but its not good. I still have my mother and the way I feel now my mother supports me a lot, I talk to her a lot, but I need a father too.
UPS ENNA
In the room where he died if I feel depressed and sad if I sit there then it comes back. You see what which happened on important days, like his birthday, fathers days, when we sat alone at the table to eat. We miss him a lot.
UPS YOLANDA
On Fridays wed know that hed be coming home at five. And wed wait. At times Id go and stand at the gate and Id forget hes not coming home. He loved tea and Id make myself tea and take out his cup too then I remember hes not here anymore.
10 24 26 17
UPS ENNA
Its difficult for me Im more often in the cemetery than in my home because when I feel depressed I go to his grave, and I sit there I know it may not change anything.
V/O 20:
Kuruman Hospital is in the heart of the problem it has no lung specialist only community doctors. It has no way of providing correct diagnosis for a suspected victim of asbestos.
UPS:AGBESI
Apart from HIV/AIDS and TB the third killer disease in our Kalahari area is asbestosis. It really pains me that my colleague who died recently from this disease never had any proper check up all his lifetime. If there were mechanisms in place I believe this mans life would have been long saved.
10 25 33 07 - V/O 21:
George Bacana is a laundry supervisor at the hospital. He regularly performs autopsies but he is not paid to do them. He learnt how to from a former doctor.
UPS: GEORGE
Asbestos scares me because my wife has it. I am scared because the doctor said I might get it.
Ups: George counting
V/O 22:
George performs autopsies to help families establish cause of death so they can get compensation. He keeps his own statistics of how many are suspected of asbestos related diseases. There are many.
Virginia Letsholo is 47 years old a certified mesothelioma case. She worked at Gefco for only two year, from 1978 to 1980. 22 years ago she stopped sorting blue asbestos at Gefco. She only realised now that she is dying. She is a mother of six. Her youngest son is nearly 2 years old. She does not have long to live, mesothelioma produces water in her lung. She will drown in her own fluids.
10 26 57 04 UPS VIRGINIA
Morning, noon and night its all the same. Sometimes I sleep in well at night like yesterday. I did not wake up. Sometimes I do not sleep because of the coughs and pains. I am not well, I am very ill. I do not know what is wrong with me. Its not nice being ill and not knowing exactly what is killing me. I also did not know that asbestos was dangerous. Right now I will leave my kids while they are still young. Who will take care of them? Im so sick I may and I may not wake up the next morning.
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CREDITS AND OUTRO (PRESENTER)