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Anglo American will have to answer in open court to allegations that it failed to prevent gold miners on its South African mines from contracting devastating lung diseases.
Eighteen former miners, including several from the Eastern Cape, began proceedings against the mining giant in 2004.
The ex-miners all worked at the President Steyn mine in the Free State from the 1970's and are being represented by the Legal Resources Centre with the assistance of London-based law firm, Leigh Day & Co, and the backing of Legal Aid South Africa.
"The company will at last have to respond in an open hearing to allegations that it failed to prevent gold miners on its South African mines from contracting devastating lung diseases," said Richard Meeran, partner at Leigh Day & Co.
Achmat Mayet of Legal Aid South Africa says the arbitration hearing will finally give the miners their chance to be heard.
"The South African gold mining industry made enormous profits over many decades, but the miners who contracted silicosis in the process were left to fend for themselves," he said.
"This hearing will finally give those miners their chance to be heard."
AASA is also facing trial in the English High Court as a result of an action commenced in September 2011 by Leigh Day & Co on behalf of 1755 ex-gold miners and potentially thousands more.
"While AASA disputes the jurisdiction of the English courts, in July this year AASA was ordered by a UK High Court judge to disclose an array of documents to the ex-gold miners," a statement said.
The arbiration hearing is scheduled for late 2013.
