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Article

14 Dec 2015

Author:
Nastassia Arendse, Mineweb (So. Africa)

So. Africa: Gold miner silicosis litigation - the complicated compensation system & why miners turned to the courts

"Silicosis case: SA mine workers playing in uneven field", 9 Dec 2015

Gold miners in South Africa are among the worst affected in the world by silicosis and other occupational lung diseases. Recently, former mine workers have come out in numbers seeking damages from about 32 mining companies for the silicosis and TB they have contracted, allegedly as a result of company negligence. The complicated compensation system and the divergent benefits for industrial or construction workers versus mine workers has made matters worse, placing pressure on gold mining companies and to some extent the South African government…[Richard] Spoor [an activist and human rights attorney seeking a class certification in litigation for former gold miners and widows] says that litigation is aimed at highlighting the difference between the statutory benefits received and the actual loss and harm. [refers to Anglo Gold, Gold Fields, Harmony Gold]

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