A 65-year-old man who was diagnosed with lung disease after working in one of the mines from 1981 until 2016, Jan Nkosi, said in a statement that he experiences constant chest pain.
“At night I have to sleep in a particular position to try to relieve the chest pain,” Nkosi, who is named in the application, added. “My coughing and wheezing sometimes wakes me up at night. When I walk quickly it feels like my chest is blocked, and I must stop and rest for a while. When I walk up an incline, I experience chest pain and can only walk very slowly. I often run out of breath.”
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for South32 confirmed with CNA that it has been served with an application for certification of a class action on behalf of mine workers in South Africa. The organization owned and operated South Africa Energy Coal from 2015 to 2021.
“This matter is currently being considered by the business,” a spokesperson said. “We are unable to comment further at this point in time.”
A statement from the bishops cited the Catholic social teachings maintained in Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical on capital and labor, Rerum Novarum. The statement noted that “the Church has been close to the suffering of unskilled and vulnerable workers in the context of unbridled industrialization and its support for the coal mine workers is a concrete manifestation of its defense of the dignity of work which is a function of God’s creation.”
