{"id":6335,"date":"2017-03-22T06:45:16","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T10:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=6335"},"modified":"2017-03-22T06:45:16","modified_gmt":"2017-03-22T10:45:16","slug":"mining-companies-appeal-silicosis-class-action-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2017\/03\/22\/mining-companies-appeal-silicosis-class-action-ruling\/","title":{"rendered":"Mining companies to appeal silicosis class action ruling"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Africa – Six gold mining companies will on Wednesday, appeal against a High Court judgment giving the go-ahead for class action by miners affected by silicosis<\/a>.\u00a0 Their application will be heard in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Silicosis is a disease that you get from inhaling silica dust, also known as quartz, the rock the gold dust is embedded in.\u00a0 Drilling the rock generates the dust which miners then breathe into their lungs. This eventually scars their lung tissue.<\/p>\n

The High Court in Johannesburg last year, ruled that both current and former gold miners may join the class action case to receive compensation for the illnesses they contracted whilst on duty.<\/p>\n

The companies include Sibanye Gold, Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields and Harmony.<\/p>\n

They argue that the ruling impeded on common law – something that has never been dealt with by courts in South Africa.<\/p>\n

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