On 2 May 2018, the Legal Resources Centre, Abrahams Kiewitz Inc and Richard Spoor Attorneys, on behalf of thousands of mineworkers, reached a historic class action settlement with the Occupational Lung Disease (OLD) Working Group, representing African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American SA, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony, Sibanye Stillwater and Pan African Resources. The settlement will see compensation paid to eligible mine workers who have silicosis or tuberculosis.

As the judges of the South Gauteng High Court prepare their findings in the massive silicosis class action case, Pete Lewis reflects on the failure of the compensation system to protect black mineworkers from the disease, condemning them to poverty and destitution.