Dyamara Jibhana Dyamara Jibhana & his brother Phillip - Queenstown, Eastern Cape Dyamara Jibhana lives in Whittlesea, Eastern Cape with his brother. He worked on the mines for 39 years and received no compensation when he was diagnosed with silicosis and sent home. He worked at Beatrix Gold Mine in the Witwatersrand Basin in Johannesburg until 2008. He is now 65 years old and waiting to hear whether he will receive some money to help him live with his condition. Next Item Previous Item

Mncedisi Dlisani Mncedisi Dlisani with his wife Nokwakha and thier daughter Sisipho - Teko Springs, Eastern Cape Mncedisi Dlisani worked in the explosives team at Western Areas Mine. He would drill the holes, place the dynamite and light the fuse from a distance away. This exposed him to a large amount of dust. “Sometimes we used masks and sometimes we didn't. There wasn't always a supply." he said. He was diagnosed with Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB of the lungs) and spent nine months in the mine hospital. During that time he did not receive his monthly wage to send home and so his wife, Nokwakha, who had to beg relatives for money to feed her family. He left the job two years later and returned to Butterworth where he spent another 9 months in hospital. After 15 years of service at Western Areas Gold Mine, he received no compensation for his illness. Due to bad weather and poor building materials the walls of their main house collapsed. They now live in a one-room rondavel (round hut) next door as they do not have the money to repair it. Next Item Previous Item

Noebejara Tau Noebejara Tau with his wife - Mafeteng, Lesotho Noebejara Tau is 70 years old and lives in Mafeteng, Lesotho. He worked on the mines between 1972 and 2000 as a loader driver. He was diagnosed with silicosis and retrenched. Although he did receive a small amount of compensation, he now has to depend on subsistence farming and bartering with his neighbours in order to acquire the food he needs to feed himself and his wife. Next Item Previous Item

Mthuthuzeli Mtshange Mthuthuzeli Mtshange - Queenstown, Eastern Cape Mthuthuzeli Mtshange has 8 children. His family live in Flagstaff, 390km from Queenstown. He works as a gardener in Queenstown to make money to send home for his family. He is paid R50 a day (approx. £2.40 or $3.70). He lives in a township on the outskirts of Queenstown as it is all he can afford. Mr Mtshange worked on the gold mines for 35 years and was retrenched without reason in 1996. He was diagnosed with silicosis and tuberculosis and received no compensation from the mines. Next Item Previous Item

Nosipho Eunice Dala Nosipho Eunice Dala (widow of Zwelakhe Dala) - Cala, Eastern Cape Zwelakhe Dala passed away on 30 March 2015. His death certificate just states that he died of natural causes. He was 55 years old and was suffering from silicosis. He worked on the gold mines for 28 years and received no compensation when he got sick from exposure to the silica dust. “It is too painful. If my husband was not working on the mines, he would still be alive.” says his wife, Nosipho. Mrs Dala raised their five children on her own, for the most part. She is now left with no income except for a small pension. Next Item Previous Item

Leseli Kompi Naleli & Leseli Kompie - Quthing, Lesotho Leseli Kompi is the 19-year-old son of Maphatsoe Kompi who died in October 2013 from pulmonary tuberculosis (TB of the lungs) at the age of 63 years. His mother died in 2012 and he is now left to look after his 15 year-old sister, Naleli. They survive off the provident fund, which his father left. The initial amount was R33 367, they are now left with R6 687. Although they have a little money to survive on and Leseli spends his time looking after the animals that his father left, he will soon need to get a paid job as a herd boy in order to pay for his sister’s education. Next Item Previous Item

Makatleho Selibo Makatleho Selibo - Morija, Lesotho Makatleho Selibo is the Widow of Mahola Selibo who worked as a team leader at President Steyn mine in Welkom. He worked underground for 33 years. He passed away in 2013 and suffered from tuberculosis and silicosis. He did not receive any compensation from the mines. On the weekends at the mines he would run a shoe repair business, fixing the broken soles of his colleagues; shoes. Mr and Mrs Selibo had four children and she now survives on subsistence farming and livestock. Next Item Previous Item

Patrick Sitwayi Patrick Sitwayi & Asive Bingwa - Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape Patrick Sitwayi lives in Upper Mcambalala with his wife, five children and three grand children. He is 57 years old and has silicosis from working underground in the gold mines for 22 years. He did not receive any compensation for his illness and is unable to support his family without a job. He has to walk with crutches because his toes became infected and were amputated. He says that this is because of the primitive safety equipment and hot working conditions on the mines, causing excess sweating that collected in his plastic gumboots. Next Item Previous Item