Death, Deceit, and the Lawyer Who Busted Big Asbestos
By David Kinley
An inside story of asbestos, death and the fight for justice by thousands of South Africans unfolds in this account of their struggle against a multinational mining corporation that refused to accept responsibility.
For nearly 90 years, a British company called Cape employed local labour to mine and mill asbestos in South Africa. Poor and mostly black men, women and children, some as young as seven, worked daily in thick clouds of asbestos dust. They carried this dust home on their skin, hair and clothes, unknowingly exposing their families.
In a Rain of Dust – asbestos exposure
The devastating levels of disease and death caused by asbestos exposure in these communities were heartbreaking.
In 1995, Richard Meeran, a young British lawyer with Indian and African roots, decided to challenge Cape. His own experience of racism in England motivated him to pursue justice. He launched a David and Goliath legal battle against the company and its top-tier legal team to hold them accountable.
David Kinley’s In a Rain of Dust tells the harrowing story of this international legal drama. The case faced enormous hurdles. Meeran had to fight deep-pocketed opponents and contend with a century of legal precedent that favoured corporations.
Initially, the case before the UK courts seemed hopeless. However, after nine years of relentless investigation, agonising setbacks and unexpected turns, including vaudevillian escapades and unlikely allies, Meeran succeeded.
Political implications for victims in post-apartheid
Kinley conducted dozens of interviews with key figures and examined thousands of documents spread across three continents.
Through this meticulous research, he brings to life an epic tale of justice achieved against overwhelming odds. This case marked a significant moment in both legal and human rights history. It also had deep political implications for victims in post-Apartheid South Africa. Many saw the case as a test not only of justice but of racial and economic redemption.
Asbestos mining in South Africa left behind a legacy of neglect, suffering and corporate concealment. Working conditions in the mines and mills, often described as a continuous “rain of dust”, remained unchanged for two decades after such practices were banned in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Meeran’s case against Cape became a turning point. It demonstrated that corporations could be held liable for human rights abuses committed abroad. The victory helped spark the global corporate social responsibility movement that continues to influence business ethics today.
About the author
David Kinley is Chair of Human Rights Law at the University of Sydney. He is a founding member of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights and serves as an Expert Member of Doughty Street Chambers in London.
His previous books include The Liberty Paradox: Living with the Responsibilities of Freedom; Necessary Evil: How to Fix Finance by Saving Human Rights; and Civilising Globalisation: Human Rights and the Global Economy.
- PUBLISHER | Johns Hopkins University Press |
- ISBN | 9781421451602 |
- Recommended Retail Price | $26.95 |
- Classification | Current Affairs |
