Zimbabwe:Asbestos mines face closure

By Roberta Katunga

ZIMBABWE risks losing US$60 million annually while the future of about 10 000 asbestos mineworkers and 70 000 people who directly benefit from the sector hangs by a thread as South Africa – one of the major importers of the products – has reportedly banned the use of asbestos materials, it has been learnt.

Zimbabwe has been generating US$60 million annually from the sale of asbestos products to the South African market alone and the ban is likely to cause a huge dent on the economy.
For all along, South Africa has been the major importer of finished asbestos products such as irrigation and water reticulation pipes, brake pads and gaskets, roofing sheets among others.
According to media reports from South Africa, the latest move by Zimbabwe’s neigbour was in line with an international crusade against the use of asbestos. The move has left Zimbabwean asbestos mines facing a fresh battle to retain staff that could become redundant as a result of this international development.

International and local media reports say that the Zimbabwean Government has been lobbying with the international community not to effect the ban, arguing that this would have a negative impact on its economy and that the asbestos mined in this country is not harmful.
However, the latest developments in South Africa have seen thousands of workers in mines and down stream industries fearing for their jobs.
Sources at Shabanie Mine – the largest producer of asbestos ore in the country, told Sunday News on Wednesday that if the sector failed to secure a new market outside South Africa, most of the workers were at a risk of becoming jobless and homeless.
“If the sector fails to secure a new market soon then the workers are in trouble as they run the risk of losing their jobs. The asbestos sector has been thriving for a long time and this is a blow to the whole community,” said one manager at the company on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
The Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Ambassador Amos Midzi confirmed the ban yesterday, but said the Government was in constant communication with its South African counterparts over the issue and was confident that the two countries understood each other.
“Naturally, the workers in the asbestos sector will be affected by this development, but South Africa is not our only market, there are other markets that we deal with. We are working with the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) on how we can increase our sales to other existing markets.
“We have always periodically had communication on an official level with our South African counterparts and we are confident that they will understand us and our situation,” said Ambassador Midzi.

A senior official at Shabanie mine identified as Mr Dhlembeu could neither deny nor confirm reports that jobs were at risk, but pointed out that there were important issues regarding the sector that needed to be highlighted.
“There are important issues that need to be known about the asbestos sector, but must be done and said in the right way,” said Mr Dhlembeu without elaborating.

However, a senior Shabanie Mine official in the public relations department said the mines were not going to suffer a major knock from the ban by South Africa.
“The ban by South Africa has no effect on us as we never exported raw materials to them. Our workers are not affected in any way and their jobs are secure,” he said.
However a South African mining magazine quoted a senior Shabanie Mine shift supervisor, who requested anonymity, as saying that they had lost the cream of their workers in the years between 2003 and 2006, but that was due to salary issues and not the imminent closure of the mine.
He said the workers were taking this issue seriously.
“They are taking this seriously. We can only get proper direction from Government and the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe because these are some of the partners that were negotiating with South Africa for concessions on this issue, but there has been no feedback except that South Africa is going ahead with the ban.
“In the absence of assurances, many workers are preparing for a very early exit,” said the supervisor.
The regulations (to ban the use of asbestos), which were gazetted in 2004 in South Africa, came into force this year and are causing panic among companies in asbestos related industries in Zimbabwe.
Asbestos mines in Zimbabwe include Shabanie and Gaths mines, which support more than 70 000 people.
The country’s foremost industrial manufacturer and distributor of fibre cement products is Turnall Holdings.
Officials at Turnall Holdings declined to comment insisting they needed questions in writing.
An estimated 10 000 workers are employed at the two chrysotile mines and downstream industries, which produce irrigation and water reticulation pipes, brake pads and gaskets.
At least US$60 million was being generated from the sale of Zimbabwe’s chrysotile asbestos annually before the South African ban.
The crusade to ban asbestos has been spearheaded by the European Green Movement, a grouping of environmental enthusiasts who have declared war against the world asbestos industry.
The main objectives of the South African regulations is to prohibit the use, processing or manufacturing of any asbestos or asbestos-containing products unless it can be proved that no suitable alternative exists.
Reports from the international papers are that the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) has said the use of asbestos has been on the decline worldwide due to the hazards reportedly associated with the mineral.
Health risks arise from the inhalation of asbestos fibres into the lungs.
Larger fibres are usually cleared by normal physiological processes but smaller fibres (less than 3 microns) may cause serious health effects, such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer and pleural disease, that can take up to 50 years to develop.
The risk is greater with increased exposure and even minor exposures can have serious health effects.

Source: SundayNews