Published on 8 Feb 2014
On Johannesburg’s Westrand, people live a treacherous life in the shadow of disused mine dumps and current Mintails Mogale Mining Operations. They have, through sheer necessity and survival, built informal settlements on top of tailing mine dumps that are saturated with radiation – in this area filmed, Tudor Shaft Informal Settlement, the levels are said to be higher than Chernobyl. The community are so besieged with survival matters that their bread and butter issues come before the environmental danger they are exposed to daily. „Where will we move to?“ they ask in hopelessness. Women here tell us that they have been promised alternative housing, but every time it is their turn to claim their homes they find someone else has moved into their allocated space.
In the meantime, huge Mining concerns in the area ignore the plight of the thousands of human beings eking out a life on top of radiation soaked land sites. They offer these community members no employment, no medical reparations for the negative health impact of dust particles and uranium poisoned land and water. There are 6 toilets in the area for 20 000 people. Children are born ill and respiratory illness affects both young and old.
Professor Busby, who is a member of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology and European Committee of Radiation Risk (ECRR) visited the Tudor Shaft Informal Settlement in November last year, says he visited various sites and made measurement of beta/gamma radiation levels.
According to (ECRR) „high radiation levels leads to external exposure but also health risks from internal irradiation. It will not only cause cancers but also non-cancer illnesses, lens destruction, neurological illnesses, diabetes, immunologies and several other radiogenic illnesses as well as a risk factor for heart disease. “ (Business day Jan 30 2014)