A South African lawyer has moved to file a class action suit against over 30 gold companies on behalf of 17,000 former miners who say they contracted silicosis, a debilitating lung disease, due to negligence in health and safety. The companies include third-largest global bullion producer AngloGold Ashanti, fourth-largest Gold Fields and Harmony Gold. Also named is Anglo American’s South African unit, which owned gold assets in the past but no longer produces the metal. Attorney Richard Spoor said on Friday he had filed last week for class certification for an action for damages in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.