TimesLive reports that the Department of Health (DOH) will from Monday start with the screening, verification, medical examination and payment of benefits to eligible former mineworkers who contracted tuberculosis (TB) or silicosis in March 1965 and December 2019.
The countrywide programme will kick off in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal before moving to other provinces. In May 2018, a settlement agreement was concluded between a number of mining companies and the representatives of miners who contracted TB or silicosis. The agreement established the Tshiamiso Trust, in terms of which the claims of eligible mineworkers and the dependants of deceased mineworkers arising from silicosis and pulmonary tuberculosis would be paid. A list of qualifying gold mines and periods is accessible here. Details of the dates and KZN sites for lodgment of claims are contained in the TimesLive report. The DOH said on Sunday that claimants should bring relevant documents including a valid ID, service and medical records and the deceased mineworker’s death certificate or autopsy report, if available. “The compensation amount will depend on a number of factors including the severity of the permanent respiratory impairment suffered by the mineworkers and their employment history at qualifying and non-qualifying mines,” the DOH said.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLive
- Read too, Drive to compensate ex-miners with TB or silicosis, at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page