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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The ongoing silicosis and tuberculosis class action litigation against South African gold miners has been postponed, following a request by representative attorneys to the registrar at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to do so.
The SCA has granted approval for the postponement.
The joint letter explains that good faith settlement negotiations between the Occupational Lung Disease Working Group and claimants’ legal representatives have reached an advanced stage.
In view of that, all parties considered it to be in the best interests of judicial economy and the efficient administration of justice that the matter, currently scheduled to be heard from March 19 to 23, be postponed.
The Working Group includes representatives of African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony and Sibanye Stillwater.
Richard Spoor, Abrahams Kiewietz and the Legal Resources Centre represent the claimants.
Some mining companies have already set aside funds for the settlement of the class action, with Harmony making provision for R917-million for the possible silicosis class action settlement.
ARM has set aside an amount of R330-million.