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by AREND HOOGERVORST
South Africa's Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs & Tourism has expressed its frustration at the delays in the manner in which the central government Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is dealing with the toxic waste stockpile. Committee Chairperson, Gwen Mahlangu, said, "This issue has been with us since we started here in Parliament in 1994. We have lost patience," she fumed. The committee has called a legal advisor to brief them on whether there are grounds for legal action against Thor. Over a year ago, a Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Thor Chemicals found that the mercury waste situation was "out of control." The Commission concluded that the only viable option was "to treat the mercury waste in an environmental friendly manner by recycling via incineration or roasting." There has been no further action to dispose of the mercury waste since then. The committee also gave notice that it is considering drafting and tabling legislation, as a matter of urgency, to be used against Thor's mercury recycling operations at Cato Ridge. Chairperson Mahlangu said that such interim legislation, if enacted, could also be used against other companies, such as mining houses, who were found guilty of bad waste management practices. Thor Chemicals Managing Director, Barry Longdon, said that his company could not do anything unless it has a permit from the government. Their permit had been withdrawn prior to the Inquiry. The committee has called Thor, the Departments of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Health, Labour, and Water Affairs & Forestry to meet chemical waste experts on August 17 to find a solution to the mercury waste stockpile problem. UK-owned Thor Chemicals established a mercury recycling plant in South Africa in the 1980s to reclaim mercury from domestic and imported mercury sludges. Local environmental groups such as Earthlife Africa and the Environmental Justice Networking Forum campaigned against Thor for alleged pollution of the environment. In 1992, three Thor workers died of mercury poisoning and after a protracted investigation, the company was prosecuted for health and safety contraventions which resulted in a fine of R13,500 (US$2,200). Thereafter, a UK legal precedent was created which allowed multi-national corporations such as Thor to be sued for double standards in health and safety requirements - one safety standard in their home countries, and a different standard in developing countries. An action was brought in the London High Court on behalf of 21 Thor employees which was finally settled out of court when Thor offered a R9.4 million (US$1.54 million) settlement. S. (Bobby) Peek FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Basel Action Network is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a `fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond `fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. More News |
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