The Johannesburg High Court has been asked to take urgent action against South African steel giant Iscor, etv news reported on Monday.
Members of the Steel Valley community, in Vanderbijlpark, south of Johannesburg, have taken Iscor to court, accusing the company of polluting their underground water supply for over forty years.
The report mentioned that people living in the shadows of the factory, 70 kilometres south of Johannesburg, are heavily reliant on boreholes for their water.
But the community alleged the ground water has been contaminated by chemicals from the factory. They now want the court to force Iscor to prevent any further pollution.
The report said the University of Cape Town’s Professor Philip Lloyd is the community’s most important witness.
Lloyd argued there is strong evidence many residents have fallen ill after drinking polluted water.
Iscor has refused to comment on the case until it is over.
But what it has done in recent years, is buy some of the land where ground water has been contaminated. The people who lived here were paid to move away.
Their homes were demolished and the area cordoned off by electric fencing.
Residents of Steel Valley want Iscor to pay their medical bills, and say they may sue for financial compensation in the future. – Sapa