Sonke reacts to silicosis judgement

Sonke Gender Justice welcomes the judgement handed down today, 13 May 2016, by the South Gauteng High Court granting permission to a group of miners to proceed with a class action against South Africa’s gold mining companies. A group of miners are suing the gold mining industry for exposure to silicosis and tuberculosis in the gold mines and not implementing the correct measures to prevent and treat the diseases. Sonke Gender Justice and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), represented by Section 27, joined the application as amici curiae or “friends of the court” and provided evidence on the gendered impact of silicosis. Sonke’s Director of Programmes, Desmond Lesejane, reacts to the judgement in this audio file.