In the 1980s, the true effects of 100 years of asbestos mining in South Africa became apparent, as thousands of former miners and those who lived in the mining communities developed asbestos-related diseases (ARD), all fatal. The companies responsible?the British Cape plc, in particular?were all multinational companies based in other countries. This case, the first in four (labeled A through D, UVA-E-0285 through UVA-E-0288), explains the history of asbestos mining in South Africa, the complicated relationship between the multinational companies and an apartheid and postapartheid South African regime, and details the struggles and issues that many ARD-afflicted South Africans faced in bringing the multinationals to justice and seeking redress.