Justice for South African Gold miners

Under apartheid gold mining was South Africa's biggest industry. Production levels were high and major multinationals made a fortune at the expense of black workers, with little or no consideration for their safety.

Most miners were migrant workers from rural areas. They were seen as an expendable commodity, forced to work underground in appalling conditions for a meagre pay and housed in poor and overcrowded single sex hostels. When they weren’t working long hours in the mines, they lived, cooked and slept in the same room. They were lucky if they saw their families once a year, most of who lived in a small area of South Africa designated by the government as ‘Homelands’.

Black miners undertook the dustiest jobs and were given little or no protection. The mine owners had known the risks of the high levels of silica dust for over a century, but took none of the simple steps to protect their workers. Now it is estimated that tens of thousands of ex gold miners are suffering from silicosis, a terrible lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to silica dust. It decreases lung capacity, making it difficult to breathe and massively increases the risk of TB, which can be fatal. Silicosis can take 10 – 20 years to develop, so was unlikely to affect workers whilst they were employed by the mines. Respirators and onsite showers would have saved many lives, but profits were prioritised over the lives of black workers.

There is no cure or specific treatment for silicosis, but medical care is essential for diagnosis and to treat associated diseases such as TB, particularly as South Africa has proportionally the highest number of TB cases in the world. However, in rural areas where most ex-mineworkers live access to screening and medical facilities is very limited or non-existent. Without diagnosis, they cannot even access the limited and inadequate compensation scheme which exists. Under the current scheme compensation does not cover pain and suffering. It is based on pay, so black ex miners get next to nothing, as they were paid the lowest wages.

The National Union of Mineworkers South Africa is calling for decent compensation, treatment, screening and support for silicosis sufferers. They say it should be paid for by the mining companies that profited from South Africa’s gold and ACTSA supports those calls.

Anglo American South Africa (AASA) was the largest gold miner in South Africa throughout the 20th century making millions in profits from apartheid gold. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Anglo American plc which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Anglo American claims that “we do not accept that it is necessary for people to be made ill whilst working for us.”

Currently there are over 1,200 ex gold miners from South Africa taking legal action against Anglo American South Africa (AASA) in the UK and 18 in South Africa for compensation and access to health care. They are suffering from silicosis and silico-tuberculosis from exposure to dangerous levels of dust from the South African gold mines.

ACTSA wants Anglo American to live up to its Corporate Social Responsibility statements and take urgent steps to provide decent compensation and improve medical services for the thousands of ex gold miners who are now suffering from silicosis. We are urging Anglo American to provide leadership and do what is right.

You can find out more about the campaign and how you can support our calls for justice for South Africa miners at www.actsa.org