Anglo American to oppose any Kabwe claim appeal

Anglo American said in an update on Monday that it would oppose any appeal related to the Kabwe claim, which it considers “misconceived”.

The FTSE 100 mining giant’s update followed the recent decision by the High Court of South Africa to grant claimants the right to appeal a prior judgement that dismissed the application for certification of a class action brought against Anglo American South Africa (AASA).

That application was filed by law firms Leigh Day and Mbuyisa Moleele on behalf of certain Zambian claimants regarding the effects of lead pollution in Kabwe, Zambia.

The company said the High Court's decision to dismiss the certification application in December, after almost a year of deliberation, emphasised the claim's legal and factual flaws, deeming it not in the interest of justice for the class action to proceed.

Anglo American said it viewed the grant of the right to appeal as acknowledging that an appeal to another court was a viable legal option for the claimants within the South African legal process.

However, it said that did not undermine the High Court's decision to dismiss the application in December.

“Anglo American will oppose any appeal that may follow,” the board said in its statement.

“As Anglo American has stated throughout, it has every sympathy for the situation in Kabwe, but is not responsible for it.

“Anglo American has stated from the outset that this claim is entirely misconceived.”

At 0815 BST, shares in Anglo American were up 0.62% at 2,165.5p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.