She and human rights lawyers from the London-based firm Leigh Day have worked on the case since 2012, collecting the stories of miners in rural South Africa and neighboring Lesotho. About 400 miners died before the settlement was reached, she said.
Claimants will undergo a medical exam to determine the compensation they should receive, Mbuyisa said. The families of the deceased miners will also be compensated.
Binyana Benson Qubeka plans to use his compensation to rebuild his home in the Eastern Cape province and send his children to school. Qubeka, born in 1952, estimates he was around 18 when he began working in the mines.
“I can’t say just how happy I am,” said Qubeka, who was diagnosed with silicosis in 1998.
The mining companies said the settlement was reached without an admission of liability from the operators.
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