Thembekile Mankayi is 49 years old. In 1995, when he was 37, he contracted silicosis and silico-tuberculosis from inhaling silica dust while working for Anglo American’s Vaal Reefs Exploration and Mining Company, which later became AngloGold Ashanti. He was awarded a lump sum of R16 320 after contracting the illness.
Now Mankayi is suing AngloGold Ashanti for R2,6-million. He says that he has suffered mental and physical problems because of his illness and can no longer work.
AngloGold has challenged Mankayi’s right to sue the company, stating that it is ‘too lateâ€.
This is part of Mankayi’s story.
In 1979 Mankayi married Nozuzile. They had their first child in the same year. At 21 Mankayi had a family he needed to care for. He left them for Johannesburg and got a job working on the mines, spending months at a time away from his loved ones.
His story captures the work ethic, hopes and trials of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who have been pivotal in building the country’s first economy.
A calm man with a sense of humour, Mankayi was born in 1958 in Mthatha, in a rural area called Khambi-emakhumsheni. He was the third-born of five children. He has fathered 10 children; the youngest is three and the oldest a 29-year-old woman.
Mankayi now lives with eight of his children, his wife and his mother, who is 88.
Since leaving the mines he has not been able to work due to his deteriorating health.
‘I spend my days herding my sheep and working in the field or in my garden when I feel well enough,†he says.
‘As a young man working at the mines I used to play soccer at the Oppenheimer stadium. I was good but the Zulu guys were much better,†he says, laughing sadly.
‘Now I can hardly walk fast without running out of breath or coughing. I have to pace myself or I will start to feel weak if I walk at a reasonably fast pace.â€
He did not complete his primary school education.
‘Working at the mines I took up Xhosa and learned how to read and write so I could write letters home. Once I knew how to do that I stopped,†says Mankayi.
At the age of 19 Mankayi got his first job working for a contractor building houses in Sasol 2 near Swaziland. ‘We built the hostel for a coal mine in this area. I worked there only for a year. That was my first job,†he says with pride.
As a miner, Mankayi lost some of his friends to accidents and illnesses.
‘In 1993 we had a huge accident underground. I lost five of my friends. Only two of us survived when the wall fell in and buried us. It was dark, I could not see anyone, I cried and called for help.
‘I must have been there for more than three hours; they saved me and another guy and later they found five of my other friends — and they were dead.â€
His two sons, aged 25 and 23, also left home after completing grade nine to find jobs in Johannesburg. ‘They can help raise more money for themselves and their family,†Mankayi says.
The younger children are still at school and one is finishing his matric. ‘My wife and I do not work. The R200 grant my wife receives helps to support the children.
‘If we need to buy something extra or pay for school, I have to sell one of the sheep to raise money.â€
Mankayi finds strength in his religion. He prays that things will work out for him so he can rest in peace, knowing his kids will live better lives.
From dust to disease
Silicosis (also known as grinder’s disease and potter’s rot) is an occupational lung disease caused by breathing in crystalline silica dust. It is marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodules in the upper lobes of the lungs.
Silicosis (especially the acute form) reveals itself in shortness of breath, fever and cyanosis (bluish skin). It is easy to confuse with pulmonary oedema (fluid in the lungs), pneumonia or tuberculosis. As silicosis is progressive, signs of it might not appear until years after exposure. Other symptoms of silicosis include a dry or severe cough — often persistent and accompanied by hoarseness — fatigue or tiredness, changes in breathing pattern (rapid or shallow breathing), chest pain and fever.
There are different types of silicosis. They are classified according to their severity, time of onset and rapidity of progression.
Chronic silicosis: occurs 15 to 20 years after exposure to moderate to low levels of silica dust. This is the most common type of silicosis.
Asymptomatic silicosis: early stages of the disease do not present any symptoms.
Accelerated silicosis: develops five to 10 years after exposure to high concentrations of silica dust. Symptoms include severe shortness of breath, weakness and weight loss.
Acute silicosis: develops a few months to two years after exposure to very high concentrations of silica dust. Symptoms include severe, disabling shortness of breath, weakness and weight loss, often leading to death.
Silicosis is an irreversible condition with no cure. All that can be done is to alleviate the symptoms and prevent complications.
The best way to prevent silicosis is to identify workplace activities that produce crystalline silica dust and then eliminate or control the dust. Water spray is often used in dusty places. Dust can also be controlled through dry air filtering.