Thousands of women are left to care for and support their husbands who have been left jobless and sick after contracting silicosis in the gold mines.
Silicosis is a preventable lung disease that affects thousands of gold miners in South Africa. When miners are sent home, sick and unable to work, it is left to women to provide support and care in the most adverse conditions. This is their story.
In October 2015, the Johannesburg High Court will decide if a group of miners and widows can file a class action lawsuit against the gold mining industry.
Watch part one of the three-part series here: genderjustice.org.za/video/the-price-of-gold/
Thom Pierce, a documentary and portrait photographer, partnered with Sonke Gender Justice and Treatment Action Campaign to tell the stories of some of the affected miners, their families and caregivers in the Eastern Cape.
