Allowing God to Heal Our Memories Through Stories
Below, you’ll find the personal stories shared by coal mine workers during the Healing of Memories sessions. In these gatherings, participants shared their experiences with one another and lifted them up in prayer, asking God to bring healing and transform their painful memories of injustice into stories of hope.
Together, they also prayed for the protection of human rights and for justice to be upheld in the mining sector across Africa.
(Real names withheld)
Asking the Lord to heal the story number one:
Sibusiso walks slowly as he enters his house in Embalenhle, Secunda. His chest is weak, and he is often extremely sick. He tries to cough to clear his throat but is suddenly caught by a sharp pain in his chest. Holding his breath to try and suppress the pain, he walks on. He breaths a sign of relief when he manages to sit down on his couch and rest. With the winter slowly settling in he often suffers from shortness of breath at night. His chest is often heavy. When his sickness is at its peak, he does not sleep well at night. His wife must stay up at late at night to nurse him, yet in the early hours of the morning she cannot afford to miss her work in the suburbs where she works as a domestic worker.
This ex-mine workers is a former Sasol employee. He suffers from Chronic Pulmonary lung disease which he contracted from breathing coal dust for more than ten years while working in a mine shaft underground.
“When l started working in the mine l did not expect that the coal dust would affect me,” Mkwanazi says
He had such big hopes for his family but before he could realise those dreams, he fell ill, and it became dangerous for him to continue working in the coal mine shaft.
During a routine tuberculosis check-up at work doctors discovered that this ex-mine worker had bigger things to worry about. He had acquired a chronic lung disease. It was recommended that he stopped working.
“I was deemed medically unfit to work there was nothing l could do to continue earning a living”
In 2009 his bank wanted him out of his house because he could no longer afford to pay the bond.
This ex-coal mine workers says wherever he tried to find work his medical history haunted him, it became difficult for him to secure any other job. He became sick more frequently and was often bedridden.
The only option left was for his wife to work as a domestic worker and pay what little she could for the house, yet the money was barely enough for the family to buy food. The couple struggled to pay for their children’s education.
” To think that l was only 45 when I contracted the lung disease, it pained me that l could no longer work to look after my family,” he says.
This ex-coal mine workers cannot afford proper medical care. Government hospitals cannot provide him with the care he needs. He says some people whom he knew to have been diagnosed with the same disease had passed on. He feels lucky to be alive, yet his sickness has been unbearable.
With the current COVID-19 pandemic he is at risk. He must take extra care of himself. However, because he has no money, no job, or savings it is difficult to be on the safe side.
“My life has not been the same due to my illness, I need to take extra care of myself. But it is hard because l think too much and stress is not good for my health” he says.
For a minute he looks distant and suddenly his face is filled with sadness. Little did he know that working with coal would cost him his health.
Asking the Lord to heal the story number two:
“One day l collapsed onto the floor and my wife had to pour water on me to help me gain consciousness. I am sure that l almost died. That is how bad the lung disease l have is, “says Sibusiso, a former Sasol employee.
He has tried everything, from doctors to herbal medicine, to try and clear his chest of the coal dust, which is saturated in his chest, but to no avail. His sickness has caused him and his family great distress.
Sibusiso was also diagnosed with a chronic lung condition while he was working in the coal mine. As a result, he could no longer continue working.
His condition does not allow him to stand or walk for long. It would be better for him to sit or lie down most of the time. But this is not possible as he must find means to look after his wife and children.
“My health is at risk because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am easily affected by a flu or cold. Contracting the virus is the last thing l need but my family has to survive somehow,” says Sibusiso.
Immediately after being diagnosed with the lung disease in 2008 he stayed in the Pretoria hospital for more than a month where specialists tried to clear his chest of coal dust. When he got discharged, he had no money, or a place to stay. His first wife left him because she was sick and broke. Luckily, a good Samaritan offered him the house he is currently living in.
“ l owe Pretoria hospital a large amount of money. I may never be able to pay the bill,” Sibusiso says.
Today he stands as the founder of a union which represents former mine workers’ rights.
“Working with coal is a serial killer. There is no cure for the disease. Specialised medical care is for those who have money.”
When Sibusiso started his venture of fighting for the rights of former mine workers, he says there were 22 people in his group who had chronic lung diseases. Five of them have died from disease. One person is currently hospitalised and is in a critical condition.
“l lie awake at night, in pain and thinking about my family and what will happen to them if l die like the others. But l pray for God to see me through,” he says.
He tries hard to stay strong and positive for his family’s sake. However sometimes he is just too weak and sick to stay hopeful.
Asking the Lord to heal the story number three:
Sibusiso is a formers Sasol engineer who served the company for more than ten years.
While working for the company doctors diagnosed him with a chest and lung condition. This came as a surprise to him because he worked far from the mine shafts. The coal dust somehow managed to affect him.
Doctors told him that he was as good as disabled, and nothing would help him. They discovered that his chest was full of coal dust. The best thing was to retire from work to save himself from any further damage. He had hoped to hold on to his job a bit longer to help build a future for his family
“I am now disabled because my condition does not allow me to do a lot of work,” says Sibusiso.
After leaving his job, his family suffered. He struggled to fund his children’s education.
Even though he managed to get another job he could not stay long because of his sickness.
“My husband suffers a lot because of his illness. It has not been easy on our family ” says the wife of Sibusiso.
She nurses her husband who is often extremely sick. She says his condition worsens at night. The family have tried everything, even traditional healers but his condition remains the same.
“He sweats a lot at night sometimes he suffers from confusion. There is a strong body odour which he got from working with coal chemicals deep inside the mine. Traditional healers tried to cleanse him, it never worked. We have to live with the circumstances, there is nothing anyone can do, “she says.
She has never worked in her life. Even if she had wanted to, she would not be able to leave him alone. Of late he has been terribly ill. The cold winter has been harsh on him, she worries about the risk of him contracting the COVID-19 virus.
“They say people with his condition are at high risk. I try to make sure that he stays warm and that he is indoors all the time,” says the wife of Sibusiso.
“What l have had to go through has been devastating, all I ever wanted was a better life for my family, ”Sibusiso says.
Asking the Lord to heal the story number four:
From a distance an appalling shack can be seen in the middle of an old township in Embalenhle, Mpumalanga. Dilapidated the shack stands in the middle of two decent RDP houses. Immediately one is filled with many questions regarding the owner of the shack and why it is in such a state when many other people in the area have houses. Opposite the shack are batches of recycling bottles. Inside the front yard hanging from a fence are shwam shwam snacks.
The shack belongs to Muquingane Cossa a former Sasol Mine employee of 25 years. He is also affected by a lung condition which he contracted in the coal mine where he used to work. Like the others he cannot breathe easily. His chest is often painful and heavy.
69-year-old Sibusiso lost his job during a mining recession in 2015. Since then he has lived a difficult life. The inside of his old two roomed shack is even more astounding. He can hardly afford to look after himself.
Although he was customarily married to a South African woman, he did not acquire citizenship. He and his wife were yet to formalise their marriage when she died in 2015. As a result, he did not qualify for an RDP house.
“It’s never easy to be sick and unemployed. It means l cannot afford proper medical care or to buy healthy food needed to maintain a good health,” he says.
When his wife died, he was devastated. She had been his pillar of strength. They had gone through a lot of hurdles together. They had thirteen children. She used to support him through his sickness and hardships.
Because life was so hard Sibusiso sent all his children to his rural home in Vilankulo, Mozambique and came back to his home in South Africa to try and do what he can to send them money. However, he struggles to send money to his children with the little he earns from selling shwam shwam snacks and recyclables.
Working with recyclables is not easy. Every day he goes around the township looking for empty bottles and containers. When he is out on the streets looking for recyclables, he does not wear any protective clothing as he cannot afford to buy it. This puts his health at risk of contracting diseases including Covid-19 . Worst still his lung condition makes him more vulnerable . But he does not have time to think about it because his priority is to raise money to send home. It takes him up to three weeks to fill up his recycling containers to go and sale in town. He can earn as little as R400 the whole month.
“My family have had to suffer the most. Because l was out of my job and sick, l could no longer afford to support them.”
Sibusiso would like to go to his home in Mozambique to rest and spend some time with his children but he cannot. He wants to continue doing his small businesses to survive. Life continues to be hard, but the memory of his wife keeps him going.
“I worry much about my younger children who are still in school back home in Vilankulo. I want them to have a better future,” he says.
Story 5: Paulus Dhlamini 59
When asked about his illness, Paulus Dhlamini breaks into tears. For a while he cries bitterly recalling how he fell sick some years ago . While he cries, he struggles to breathe due to the pain in his lungs. He must live with a scar inside him for the rest of his life.
Dhlamini says whenever he thinks of the time, he became sick and left his job, the memories reduce him to tears. He often suffers from sleepless nights thinking and he is often in pain. The turmoil he and his family has been going through has been unbearable.
“My life was reduced to the lowest, me and my family struggle to get even the food we eat,” says Dhlamini.
Dhlamini had worked as a machine operator at Sasol for 25 years when he found out that his health condition could no longer allow him to work. Doctors told him that he had lung disease. He left his job in 2008. It was difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that he would never be able to work for the rest of his life because of the disease.
“Not being able to work meant that family will suffer.” He said.
The family now relies on the little his wife earns working in the kitchens (as a domestic worker). He says he has thought of engaging himself in illegal activities many times just to get money to buy food. However, the thought of going to jail and leaving his family stopped him.
“Besides, l cannot even run because my lungs are painful, and my feet are often swollen. If l would get myself into crime, the police would catch me before l can get away,” Dhlamini says jokingly but with a sincere look in his eyes.
He says he feels as if the community laughs at him because he cannot manage to look after his family.
“l survive off scraps. I would even pick food from the dustbins if l had to, life has been so hard.”
Much as he would like to get specialised medical care for his health condition, he cannot afford it. Yet the disease has changed his life to the worst.
Dhlamini says he has accepted that one day the disease will take his life. He hopes and prays for a chance to give his children a better life and future. He wonders if that will ever come true.
“It is painful for a man to be unable to look after his family, the thought of dying and living nothing for them breaks my heart,” he says with tears in his eyes.
Story 6: Ghumethelo Modise 67
A tiny shack in Embalenhle township is all Ghumethelo Modise has for a home. Much as the small shack may not be much to show for, he is grateful that he and his family have a home. The 67-year old worked as an engineer for Sasol for 27 years.
He suffers from a lung condition and he has high blood pressure.
“Sometimes my blood pressure is abnormally high because l think too much. Doctors tell me that it is not good for me. But how do l stop thinking? I have gone through a lot of strain because of my sickness
Like the others his health condition could not allow him to work. However, he often had to look for odd jobs to help look after his wife and children. He would go around asking to do gardening for people around his township. This would worsen his lung sickness. After days of working hard doing gardening, he found himself unable to sleep at night. He would sweat a lot and had shortness of breath. The next day, he would defy his wife’s wishes for him to stay home and rest, force himself to wake up and go out to find more work. There was nothing else he could do as he had to sacrifice for the sake of his family and himself to survive.
“I had to be strong enough to see each day through, that is what a man does.”
Despite registering for an RDP house in 2006, he is still on the waiting list. If he had not fallen ill, he would have wante
1.Lindane Mkwanazi 60
Lindane Mkwanazi walks slowly as he enters his house in Embalenhle, Secunda. His chest is weak, and he is often extremely sick. He tries to cough to clear his throat but is suddenly caught by a sharp pain in his chest. Holding his breath to try and suppress the pain, he walks on. He breaths a sign of relief when he manages to sit down on his couch and rest. With the winter slowly settling in he often suffers from shortness of breath at night. His chest is often heavy. When his sickness is at its peak, he does not sleep well at night. His wife must stay up at late at night to nurse him, yet in the early hours of the morning she cannot afford to miss her work in the suburbs where she works as a domestic worker.
Mkwanazi is a former Sasol employee. He suffers from Chronic Pulmonary lung disease which he contracted from breathing coal dust for more than ten years while working in a mine shaft underground.
“When l started working in the mine l did not expect that the coal dust would affect me,” Mkwanazi says
He had such big hopes for his family but before he could realise those dreams, he fell ill, and it became dangerous for him to continue working in the coal mine shaft.
During a routine tuberculosis check-up at work doctors discovered that Mkwanazi had bigger things to worry about. He had acquired a chronic lung disease. It was recommended that he stopped working.
“I was deemed medically unfit to work there was nothing l could do to continue earning a living”
In 2009 his bank wanted him out of his house because he could no longer afford to pay the bond.
Mkwanazi says wherever he tried to find work his medical history haunted him, it became difficult for him to secure any other job. He became sick more frequently and was often bedridden.
The only option left was for his wife to work as a domestic worker and pay what little she could for the house, yet the money was barely enough for the family to buy food. The couple struggled to pay for their children’s education.
” To think that l was only 45 when I contracted the lung disease, it pained me that l could no longer work to look after my family,” he says.
Mkwanazi cannot afford proper medical care. Government hospitals cannot provide him with the care he needs. He says some people whom he knew to have been diagnosed with the same disease had passed on. He feels lucky to be alive, yet his sickness has been unbearable.
With the current COVID-19 pandemic he is at risk. He must take extra care of himself. However, because he has no money, no job, or savings it is difficult to be on the safe side.
“My life has not been the same due to my illness, I need to take extra care of myself. But it is hard because l think too much and stress is not good for my health” he says.
For a minute he looks distant and suddenly his face is filled with sadness. Little did he know that working with coal would cost him his health.
Story 2: Joseph Makoti
“One day l collapsed onto the floor and my wife had to pour water on me to help me gain consciousness. I am sure that l almost died. That is how bad the lung disease l have is, “says Joseph Makoti, a former Sasol employee.
He has tried everything, from doctors to herbal medicine, to try and clear his chest of the coal dust, which is saturated in his chest, but to no avail. His sickness has caused him and his family great distress.
Makoti was also diagnosed with a chronic lung condition while he was working in the coal mine. As a result, he could no longer continue working.
His condition does not allow him to stand or walk for long. It would be better for him to sit or lie down most of the time. But this is not possible as he must find means to look after his wife and children.
“My health is at risk because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am easily affected by a flu or cold. Contracting the virus is the last thing l need but my family has to survive somehow,” says Makoti
Immediately after being diagnosed with the lung disease in 2008 he stayed in the Pretoria hospital for more than a month where specialists tried to clear his chest of coal dust. When he got discharged, he had no money, or a place to stay. His first wife left him because she was sick and broke. Luckily, a good Samaritan offered him the house he is currently living in.
“ l owe Pretoria hospital a large amount of money. I may never be able to pay the bill,” Makoti says.
Today he stands as the founder of a union which represents former mine workers’ rights.
“Working with coal is a serial killer. There is no cure for the disease. Specialised medical care is for those who have money.”
When Makoti started his venture of fighting for the rights of former mine workers, he says there were 22 people in his group who had chronic lung diseases. Five of them have died from disease. One person is currently hospitalised and is in a critical condition.
“l lie awake at night, in pain and thinking about my family and what will happen to them if l die like the others. But l pray for God to see me through,” he says.
He tries hard to stay strong and positive for his family’s sake. However sometimes he is just too weak and sick to stay hopeful.
Story 3: Alfred Msibi
Alfred Msibi is a formers Sasol engineer who served the company for more than ten years.
While working for the company doctors diagnosed him with a chest and lung condition. This came as a surprise to him because he worked far from the mine shafts. The coal dust somehow managed to affect him.
Doctors told him that he was as good as disabled, and nothing would help him. They discovered that his chest was full of coal dust. The best thing was to retire from work to save himself from any further damage. He had hoped to hold on to his job a bit longer to help build a future for his family
“I am now disabled because my condition does not allow me to do a lot of work,” says Msibi.
After leaving his job, his family suffered. He struggled to fund his children’s education.
Even though he managed to get another job he could not stay long because of his sickness.
“My husband suffers a lot because of his illness. It has not been easy on our family ” says his wife Margaret Msibi.
Margaret nurses her husband who is often extremely sick. She says his condition worsens at night. The family have tried everything, even traditional healers but his condition remains the same.
“He sweats a lot at night sometimes he suffers from confusion. There is a strong body odour which he got from working with coal chemicals deep inside the mine. Traditional healers tried to cleanse him, it never worked. We have to live with the circumstances, there is nothing anyone can do, “she says.
Margaret has never worked in her life. Even if she had wanted to, she would not be able to leave him alone. Of late he has been terribly ill. The cold winter has been harsh on him, she worries about the risk of him contracting the COVID-19 virus.
“They say people with his condition are at high risk. I try to make sure that he stays warm and that he is indoors all the time,” says Margaret.
“What l have had to go through has been devastating, all I ever wanted was a better life for my family, ”Msibi says.
Story 4: Muquingane Cossa 69
From a distance an appalling shack can be seen in the middle of an old township in Embalenhle, Mpumalanga. Dilapidated the shack stands in the middle of two decent RDP houses. Immediately one is filled with many questions regarding the owner of the shack and why it is in such a state when many other people in the area have houses. Opposite the shack are batches of recycling bottles. Inside the front yard hanging from a fence are shwam shwam snacks.
The shack belongs to Muquingane Cossa a former Sasol Mine employee of 25 years. He is also affected by a lung condition which he contracted in the coal mine where he used to work. Like the others he cannot breathe easily. His chest is often painful and heavy.
69-year-old Cossa lost his job during a mining recession in 2015. Since then he has lived a difficult life. The inside of his old two roomed shack is even more astounding. He can hardly afford to look after himself.
Although he was customarily married to a South African woman, he did not acquire citizenship. He and his wife were yet to formalise their marriage when she died in 2015. As a result, he did not qualify for an RDP house.
“It’s never easy to be sick and unemployed. It means l cannot afford proper medical care or to buy healthy food needed to maintain a good health,” he says.
When his wife died, he was devastated. She had been his pillar of strength. They had gone through a lot of hurdles together. They had thirteen children. She used to support him through his sickness and hardships.
Because life was so hard Cossa sent all his children to his rural home in Vilankulo, Mozambique and came back to his home in South Africa to try and do what he can to send them money. However, he struggles to send money to his children with the little he earns from selling shwam shwam snacks and recyclables.
Working with recyclables is not easy. Every day he goes around the township looking for empty bottles and containers. When he is out on the streets looking for recyclables, he does not wear any protective clothing as he cannot afford to buy it. This puts his health at risk of contracting diseases including Covid-19 . Worst still his lung condition makes him more vulnerable . But he does not have time to think about it because his priority is to raise money to send home. It takes him up to three weeks to fill up his recycling containers to go and sale in town. He can earn as little as R400 the whole month.
“My family have had to suffer the most. Because l was out of my job and sick, l could no longer afford to support them.”
Cossa would like to go to his home in Mozambique to rest and spend some time with his children but he cannot. He wants to continue doing his small businesses to survive. Life continues to be hard, but the memory of his wife keeps him going.
“I worry much about my younger children who are still in school back home in Vilankulo. I want them to have a better future,” he says.
Story 5: Paulus Dhlamini 59
When asked about his illness, Paulus Dhlamini breaks into tears. For a while he cries bitterly recalling how he fell sick some years ago . While he cries, he struggles to breathe due to the pain in his lungs. He must live with a scar inside him for the rest of his life.
Dhlamini says whenever he thinks of the time, he became sick and left his job, the memories reduce him to tears. He often suffers from sleepless nights thinking and he is often in pain. The turmoil he and his family has been going through has been unbearable.
“My life was reduced to the lowest, me and my family struggle to get even the food we eat,” says Dhlamini.
Dhlamini had worked as a machine operator at Sasol for 25 years when he found out that his health condition could no longer allow him to work. Doctors told him that he had lung disease. He left his job in 2008. It was difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that he would never be able to work for the rest of his life because of the disease.
“Not being able to work meant that family will suffer.” He said.
The family now relies on the little his wife earns working in the kitchens (as a domestic worker). He says he has thought of engaging himself in illegal activities many times just to get money to buy food. However, the thought of going to jail and leaving his family stopped him.
“Besides, l cannot even run because my lungs are painful, and my feet are often swollen. If l would get myself into crime, the police would catch me before l can get away,” Dhlamini says jokingly but with a sincere look in his eyes.
He says he feels as if the community laughs at him because he cannot manage to look after his family.
“l survive off scraps. I would even pick food from the dustbins if l had to, life has been so hard.”
Much as he would like to get specialised medical care for his health condition, he cannot afford it. Yet the disease has changed his life to the worst.
Dhlamini says he has accepted that one day the disease will take his life. He hopes and prays for a chance to give his children a better life and future. He wonders if that will ever come true.
“It is painful for a man to be unable to look after his family, the thought of dying and living nothing for them breaks my heart,” he says with tears in his eyes.
Story 6: Ghumethelo Modise 67
A tiny shack in Embalenhle township is all Ghumethelo Modise has for a home. Much as the small shack may not be much to show for, he is grateful that he and his family have a home. The 67-year old worked as an engineer for Sasol for 27 years.
He suffers from a lung condition and he has high blood pressure.
“Sometimes my blood pressure is abnormally high because l think too much. Doctors tell me that it is not good for me. But how do l stop thinking? I have gone through a lot of strain because of my sickness
Like the others his health condition could not allow him to work. However, he often had to look for odd jobs to help look after his wife and children. He would go around asking to do gardening for people around his township. This would worsen his lung sickness. After days of working hard doing gardening, he found himself unable to sleep at night. He would sweat a lot and had shortness of breath. The next day, he would defy his wife’s wishes for him to stay home and rest, force himself to wake up and go out to find more work. There was nothing else he could do as he had to sacrifice for the sake of his family and himself to survive.
“I had to be strong enough to see each day through, that is what a man does.”
Despite registering for an RDP house in 2006, he is still on the waiting list. If he had not fallen ill, he would have wanted to find another mine job and earn money to build a house for himself and his family. Some of his children have moved out on their own. He is only happy that he managed to raise them against the odds. There is so much he had wanted to do for them. He wanted to give them the best if things had worked out differently.
“I never thought I would reach this age living in a shack, but one can never predict how life turns out.
“They say people with respiratory problems like me are at a high risk if contracting the COVID-19 virus. It worries me so much now that its winter, our shack is very cold,” Modise says.
However, he does not give up hope believing that all will be well someday.
