SowetanLive reports that nearly two years after a R5bn landmark ruling that would change the lives of former mineworkers who contracted deadly lung diseases at work, only seven claimants have been paid out in a trial run.
The Tshiamiso Trust last month made payments to seven people but CEO Daniel Kotton said they were faced with a mammoth task which could take up to 10 years to finalise. The trust has to find and process claims of all former mineworkers who contracted silicosis or tuberculosis on 82 gold mines from 1965 to 2019. Affected miners are eligible to receive between R10,000 and R500,000, depending on the nature and severity of the disease. Kotton said there were 50 lodgment sites in SA, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana which were fully functional. A call centre has been established where workers can call a toll free number to make an appointment to visit the offices Kotton said the trust was faced with the huge challenge of getting the data of all the workers, including those employed during a period when computers did not exist. As of Friday, 10,000 people had lodged claims. The claim process can take up to six months, but Kotton wants it reduced. He said another problem was fraudsters taking money from claimants with the promise that they would help them with the process in Lesotho, Eastern Cape and Free State. He said the trust expected to start making payments by mid-year. Tshiamiso wants to pay at least 40% to 50% of the claimants in the next three years. Richard Spoor, who assisted the mineworkers during their court application, said it was unacceptable for the trust to say it could not find the records of claimant mineworkers.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Penwell Dlamini at SowetanLive
- Read too, How to lodge a claim with Tshiamiso Trust, at SowetanLive
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