Richard Spoor
DIRECTOR: Richard Spoor Inc Attorneys
‘It is a criminal enterprise thinly disguised as government. Well done the ANC’
RICHARD Spoor, South Africa’s most prominent human rights lawyer, in 2024 maintained his crusade for justice for those wronged by the mining sector and other industries. His résumé on this front is formidable: he spearheaded the R5bn silicosis class action settlement against South Africa’s gold sector. His class action suit against the coal sector, launched in 2023, remains very much in play. It seeks compensation for miners who contracted pneumoconiosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease because of their exposure to coal dust. This is coming at a time when the coal industry globally is slowly being starved of the capital it needs as bankers and investors steer clear of new projects for a fossil fuel linked to climate change and pollution.
Aside from the mining industry, Spoor is leading a class action lawsuit representing more than 1,000 claimants who suffered from the outbreak of listeriosis in 2017/18 by eating contaminated food. South African food company Tiger Brands is the target of that suit and in September 2024 Richard Spoor Incorporated (RSI) Attorneys and LHL Attorneys said that “breakthrough” evidence had come to light that sealed their case. The evidence came from the National Health Laboratory Service and the lawyers say it clearly shows that the strain behind the lethal outbreak was directly traced to a Tiger Brands facility and no other.
Such cases take time but Spoor is as methodical as he is passionate. In 2025, investors and other stakeholders will be closely monitoring the legal progress of the coal class action.
LIFE OF RICHARD
Spoor is not anti-business, but he takes aim at businesses that harm people. He is a frequent critic of South Africa’s ANC and other powers that be on the social media platform X, where he flings acerbic comments their way. Spoor divides his time between White River near the Kruger Park and Johannesburg. A qualified pilot, he is also a keen cyclist and when he is not launching class-action suits or commenting on X he pursues both activities with relish.
