Exhibition casts light on despair of miners

THE PAIN of 56 former miners left destitute as a result of contracting terminal illnesses such as silicosis and tuberculosis is captured in an exhibition featuring portraits and audio clips.

Visitors descending the staircase to a dark room in the basement of the Central Methodist Church in the Joburg CBD will until today be able to view the portraits.

The setting replicates a mineshaft, mineworkers with light bulbs mounted on their helmets illuminating the way.

The launch of the exhibition coincided with the start of the hearing into the class action lawsuit brought by miners against 32 mining companies on Monday.

The captions on the photos explain the plight of these men and their families for there are also portraits of widows and miners’ children.

The men’s emaciation is shocking evidence of their poor health – a direct result of years of toil in the country’s gold mines.

Photographer Thom Pierce was moved by the miners’ dejection.

“There is an overriding feeling of hopelessness. They said there was nothing left for them and many regretted working in the mines because they had nothing to show for their years of hard work,” he said.

Among the photos is a portrait of Tekeza Mdukisa, who worked in the Western Levels Mines, west of Joburg, for 28 years.

He was retrenched with a paltry compensation of R36 000 after being diagnosed with silicosis. He has not been able to find employment. Right towards the front of the exhibition is a photograph of Bongani Nkala, the man who originally brought the case against Harmony Gold Mining Company.

After being diagnosed with silicosis, he received just R50 000 in compensation. He worked for Harmony Gold for 15 years. Nkala used his money to buy a taxi, but it broke down and he couldn’t afford to repair it.

Walking through the rows of pictures, the visitor cannot help but realise the far-reaching social implications when breadwinners, husbands, fathers die from lung-related diseases.

Nineteen-year-old Leseli Kompi’s father, Maphatsoe, for example, died after being diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of 63.

Following the death of his father and mother, Kompi is responsible for his 15-year-old sister.

Their emaciation is evidence of their poor health