Bongani Nkala v Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited & Others

There are two possible class action lawsuits being filed by Richard Spoor Attorneys (Spoor), Abrahams Kiewitz Inc (Abrahams), and the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) against the 32 gold mining companies collectively comprising the entire South African gold mining industry.

The first class is made up of current and former gold mineworkers with silicosis and the dependants of those who have died as a result of silicosis. The second class is made up of current and former gold mineworkers who have or had contracted pulmonary tuberculosis, and the dependants of deceased underground mineworkers who died of pulmonary tuberculosis. These two classes include 56 class representatives who represent more than 25,000 individuals. The number of class members who stand to benefit from the lawsuit is conservatively estimated to be approximately between 100,000 and 200,000.

Sonke and TAC have been admitted as amici curiae (“friends of the court”), providing evidence of the socio-economic and gendered impact of silicosis to mine-sending communities.