Gauteng to be rid of all asbestos roofing

Gauteng will pay for poor people to replace their asbestos roofing in a programme aimed at eliminating the health hazards caused by the material.

The project is expected to cost the provincial government millions .

Malibongwe Kanjana, chief of operations in the Gauteng human settlements department, said yesterday that asbestos roofs were a health hazard.

"The asbestos in many houses is old. Some of the asbestos roofs are broken and research shows that this causes respiratory problems," he said.

Kanjana said the department would focus solely on helping poor communities and households in the lower-income bracket. People who have been given title deeds to their houses will also be eligible.

Municipalities are trying to establish the number of houses with asbestos roofs in their jurisdiction.

"We will lobby other people who can help us in a private-public partnership to assist those not belonging to the lower-income groups.

"But we are committed to eradicating asbestos in the entire province," Kanjana said.

The department is considering a range of replacement roofing materials. Kanjana said tiles would be ideal.

The department will ask the national and provincial treasuries for funding for the project.

Jim Te Water Naude, a public health specialist, said gutters and downpipes made from asbestos should also be removed.

He said that though not safe, an asbestos roof carried a low risk of causing asbestos-related diseases.

But, 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.

Te Water Naude warned of the considerable risk to the health of the workers who would remove the asbestos roofs .

"The problem with asbestos-related diseases is that they have a very long latency. You breathe the fibre today and 40 years later you get sick from it," he said.

Te Water Naude said asbestos roofs must be disposed of in such a way as to prevent them being resold.

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.