[ 2011-12-11 ]

South Africa's sick miners go after giant Anglo
TSOLO, South Africa (AFP) - Mongezi Mponco left
his village of grassland hills as one of hundreds
of thousands of healthy young black men who poured
into the deep underground of South Africa's gold
mines.

The 54-year-old continued working when diagnosed
with early incurable lung disease until he was
fired after 30 years, in a story traced on
thumb-worn papers in his home off a rutted dirt
road in the downtrodden Eastern Cape.

"Thank you for your loyal service and all the
best," advised the termination letter to the
father of six, who has certified silicosis
scarring of the lungs.

But the best has not materialised for Mponco and
hundreds of other former mineworkers who want
mining giant Anglo American to pay up for exposing
them to dangerous dust levels.

The London-listed firm's South African subsidiary
is being sued on two continents in cases that
could run into millions of rand in damages.

A seven-year case with 18 claimants is nearing for
trial in South Africa, and a class action recently
filed in Britain has more than 700 claimants and
is still collecting names.

"We're averaging around about 100 now per month,"
said Zanele Mbuyisa, an attorney working on the
mass suit, who criss-crosses rural areas meeting
potential clients.

The rural Eastern Cape has long supplied workers
to what were the world's richest gold mines which
burrow up to nearly four kilometres (2.5 miles)
below surface.

Silicosis is caused by inhaling gold mining dust
and can rest dormant for years before permanently
scarring the lungs.

Black miners working in often unsafe conditions
during apartheid were hard hit, with one study
citing prevalence of up to 32 percent in deceased
black miners.

The former miners return home with battered health
to their villages to eke out a survival, unable to
support their families, and often falling under
the radar for medical examinations and
compensation.

"The economy in South Africa, as it is, was built
by ex-mineworkers. We are who we are in terms of
the economy because of those men," said Mbuyisa.

"Yet two things came out of that: you had
generations of wealth for the mine owners and
generations of poverty for the workers. That
doesn't seem fair does it? And that's how I
personally look at it."

At 54, Zwelinzima Mfenyana looks years older since
getting sick in the early 1990s after 13 years
underground. He followed other men to the mines
aged 16 and his family now live off just over 500
rand (46 euros/62 dollars) in two monthly child
welfare grants.

"I'm old now and I want my money that I worked for
that wasn't given to me," he said in a round
traditional thatched "rondavel" hut.

South Africa's Constitutional Court in a landmark
judgement this year cleared the way for sick
ex-mineworkers to sue companies directly.

Ex-miner Thembekile Mankayi had claimed damages of
2.6 million rand from AngloGold Ashanti who had
handed him a pay-out of 16,320 rand. He died just
days before the ruling but his attorney has also
indicated possible mass action.

Deeply rooted in Africa's biggest economy, Anglo
American South Africa is the country's biggest
private employer with profits running to billions
of dollars.

The company denies responsibility as the claims
involve companies in which its South African wing
had minority interests.

"Anglo American does not believe that it is any
way liable for the silicosis claims brought by
former gold workers and is defending the actions,"
said the company.

Source - AFP

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