Many of the members have sustained injuries or illness from working in the mines, and have been declared redundant.
SNEMA is not a political organisation as such, taking a more broad rights-based approach in support of Swaziland's poor, particularly in relation to procuring the unpaid compensation that they believe they are due from the mining industry.
SNEMA see the main problems in trying to procure their compensations as being: SNEMA has successfully taken the Swazi Government to court over its unfulfilled promise to provide free primary school education (section 29 (6) of the constitution).
The ex-miners argued that the persistent lack of education of their children at primary school level is a complete and unlawful violation of the constitution.
The court case followed the refusal of government to respect the ruling of the High Court on the same issue on 16 March 2009, wherein it issued a declaratory judgement pronouncing that the Government of Swaziland has the responsibility to provide free primary school education across all grades in public primary schools in accordance with the Constitution.