JOHANNESBURG Oct 4 (Reuters) – Thirty-one former South
African miners launched a case against world no. 3 bullion
producer AngloGold Ashanti on Thursday in the
Johannesburg High Court, saying they contracted the lung disease
silicosis while working in its shafts.
The case is separate from a silicosis class action suit
filed in August against AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields
and Harmony on behalf of thousands of workers.
In yet another case, Anglo American Plc’s South
African unit will face a hearing next year to determine if it is
liable for miners who say they developed the disease when they
worked in gold mines it has since sold off.
“AngloGold patently failed in its legal duty to protect its
employees against excessive dust exposure,” said Richard Meeran,
a partner at UK-based Leigh Day Co which is representing
plaintiffs in both the AngloGold and Anglo American cases.
“It is high time that Anglo American and AngloGold set about
establishing a settlement scheme to alleviate the suffering of
the former miners and their families,” he said.
AngloGold Ashanti spokesman Alan Fine said: “We haven’t at
this stage received any papers in connection with this reported
action.” The company offered no further comment.
In all of these cases, including the class action suit,
mining companies had declined to comment in detail.
Graham Briggs, the chief executive of Harmony, told Reuters
earlier this year the issue of silicosis was “a big topic” but
he did not think it “class action material”.
Continued…
