Only 100 silicosis claimants paid out
More than two years after six mining companies agreed to compensate workers afflicted by silicosis and TB, only about 0.25% of almost 40 000 claims have been paid.
A Business Day report says the Tshiamiso Trust is tasked with disbursing R5bn that mining companies agreed to pay sick employees for workplace diseases contracted between 1965 and 2019.
It has paid a little more than 100 claims to date.
In 2018, six mining companies and miners’ representatives agreed to the R5bn compensation fund in an out-of-court settlement. This was as another legal process – a class-action suit – involving different categories of claimants was in progress.
Aspects of the trust had to be authorised by the court, and this continued over about two years. The trust itself was established in 2020 to compensate affected mineworkers who suffer from silicosis and TB.
The agreement applies to those who worked at 82 gold mines owned by African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American SA, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony and Sibanye-Stillwater.
‘The trust undertakes to continue processing payments as rapidly as is humanly possible,’ spokesperson Monako Dibetle said, noting the 102 claimants were paid between R25 000 and R250 000 between late June and the end of July.
Dibetle said there was a delay because the trust had to establish offices across Southern Africa for claimants in neighbouring states.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the trust deed’s complexities also contributed to the delays, he said.
Tens of thousands of applicants have lodged claims in SA, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi and Mozambique.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
