Zimbabwean ex-mineworkers claim compensation after decades of suffering
Thousands of former miners from Zimbabwe who labored in South African gold operations between the 1940s and 1980s can access compensation through medical facilities in their home country. The Witwatersrand Native Labour Association recruited these workers, who faced dangerous conditions underground with extreme temperatures and dust exposure that frequently lacked proper safety equipment. Chronic respiratory illnesses such as silicosis and tuberculosis developed from breathing silica particles over extended periods. Many miners came back to Zimbabwe suffering from persistent health problems without pensions or acknowledgment.
A class action legal challenge filed during 2016 by workers from five southern African nations resulted in approval by South African courts three years later. The Tshiamiso Trust manages payments that vary from 10,000 rand to 250,000 rand with severe cases receiving as much as 500,000 rand. Regional estimates suggest more than 500,000 miners experienced these hazardous exposures.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 Zimbabwean workers are believed to have suffered such conditions. The trust partnered with the National Social Security Authority in October 2025 to establish local claim processing. Approved medical centers in Harare, Bulawayo and Gweru handle examinations and applications for affected individuals.
