Mining Weekly reports that the Q(h)ubeka Trust has so far paid out R166-million to 1,626 qualifying beneficiaries and dependants since its inception in March 2016.  

The trust was formed to allocate funds to silicosis-affected mineworkers in a legal settlement between former gold mineworkers and Anglo American SA and AngloGold Ashanti.  The trust is processing the claims of a closed list of 4,365 named claimants, of whom about 3,500 have been referred for medical assessments.  Of these 3,500 claimants, more than half have been determined to be suffering from silicosis and its effects.  Q(h)ubeka chairperson Dr Sophia Kisting-Cairncross said in a statement on Tuesday that the processing of claims of deceased claimants, which represent around 20% of all claimants, continues to be a challenge because of the lack of medical records.  The trust is working with specialists to develop an instrument that can determine whether, in the absence of medical records, a claimant who died may have had silicosis.  According to Kisting-Cairncross, the medical process was more complex and more difficult than initially envisaged.

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