In an effort to rectify mining injustices, human rights lawyers at Richard Spoor Inc have filed a class action suit against some of South Africa's biggest mining companies, on behalf of retired coal miners who are living with the detrimental health effects of decades of unsafe working conditions, the firm announced on Tuesday.

"I'm very happy that Richard Spoor Inc is taking on this class action suit because the mine doesn't care about us! You work and you work and then when you become sick, they don't care. And you end up sitting at home. They don't even compensate you; you just get service compensation," said Ntombi Mahlangu, a former mineworker at Anglo American-owned mines.

The class action suit, which includes working and retired women and men mineworkers, was filed in the Gauteng Local Division's High Court in mid-October. The class suit has been brought against nine mining companies owned by the Anglo American group. The companies listed as defendants include Thungela's Operations and Resources divisions, Rietvlei Mining, Mafube coal mining, Butsanani Energy Investment Holdings and South Africa Coal Operations.

Some of the diseases that the mineworkers have suffered and continue to suffer from include coal workers pneumoconiosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as a result of coal mine dust exposure.

The class action is centred on the undermining and failure to meet the duty of care owed to the employees which has resulted in the poor health of the miners -- entitling the mineworkers to financial compensation, Chloe Hoffmann, associate at Richard...