SOUTH AFRICA

An us7owned
vanadi'u'm mine in Vametco
in tfie North West province
seems to be doing a repeat of
the Bhopal gas tragedy.
Inhabitants of the villages of
Mothutlung which has a
population of around
12,000, and Rankhotea
which has a population of
about 2,000, have called for
an open debate on the issue.
Apparently, workers are
dying, and children and old
people are falling ill due
to Ipoisoned' underground
water and mine dust blowing
into their homes. Workers
at the mine have also complained of chest problems and coughing, with
many of them having blue-green tongues associated
with vanadium poisoning.
Workers, who s howed
symptoms of vanadium poisoning were sacked or given
early retirement on some
pretext. Families of those
workers who had died of
poisoning are demanding
compensation.