Anglo American now finds itself in the crosshairs of class action specialist Richard Spoor, who last week filed an action in the Gauteng High Court for certification of a class action suit against nine Anglo American companies for claims of health damage to coal miners.
“It’s a process, but what we’re hoping is to grab hold of those who benefited from this neglect of miners and their families lives and their health, and to hold them accountable in some measure,” said Spoor in a statement.Spoor previously won a multibillion-rand settlement for thousands of surviving or deceased gold miners and their dependants who contracted silicosis as a result of breathing silica dust during their work.
“However, testimony from miners alleges the opposite to be true. For example, applicant Ntombi Mahlangu, who worked at Anglo-owned Goedehoop Coal Mine and Greenside Coal Mine between 2002 and 2008, was diagnosed with Coal Mine Dust Lung Disease in May 2023.” The class action was initiated by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Cardinal Stephen Brislin says the case is an important endeavour on behalf of previous employees suffering from debilitating coal dust disease.