Plan to eradicate asbestos roofs underway

Research on Gauteng's programme to eradicate asbestos roofs in the province will begin next month and is expected to be completed as quick as possible.

Last month the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements told the portfolio committee that it is planning to eradicate all asbestos roofs in houses as they posed a health hazard represented the legacy of the apartheid era.

Speaking to The Times in Johannesburg yesterday, Chief Operations Officer of the department Malibongwe Kanjane said the initiative had taken off the ground and will strictly focus on the houses.

“We have appointed eight professional resource teams to go around Gauteng to verify the numbers that we have on asbestos. We also want to know what is the status of the houses that are carrying asbestos in terms of the structural integrity. This will enable us to determine which form of roofing we can use when replacing asbestos a heavy form of roofing or a lighter form of roofing,” said Kanjane.

The professional resource teams are made-up of technical experts and engineers.

The experts will conduct the research and by the end of the month will present a report to the department.

“The report will tell us in house number X this is the situation – the type of the roofing and the structural integrity of the house,” he said.

After the report has been studied the department will then determine which type of roofing will be suitable and the cost of the project.

“This report will also give us an opportunity to see if we have compromised structures and what else can be done [in the future].

Eradication of asbestos is expected to cost the Gauteng government millions of rands and funding for the initiative will be sourced from national and provincial treasuries.

A range of replacement roofing materials are being considered but tiles remain the ideal.

Though not safe, an asbestos roof carries a low risk of causing asbestos-related diseases.

Experts have warned that gutter and downpipes made from asbestos should also be removed.

When asbestos sheeting is cracked or otherwise damaged, minute fibres can become airborne and be inhaled.

That could lead to diseases such as cancer and fibrosis, the latter characterised by scarring of the lungs.

In March 2008 the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism announced that the use, manufacture and processing of asbestos was prohibited in South Africa with immediate effect.