Stakeholders spearheading a project helping former mineworkers to access their unpaid employment benefits say they need more funding to fulfil their obligations. Benefits amounting to R10 billion have not yet been paid.
It is reported that some former mineworkers were previously denied access to employment benefits such as compensation for occupational diseases. Trying to simplify the claiming process, the government in collaboration with other stakeholders, is decentralising this office.
“We are hoping to get some additional funds to actually take this forward. The mining companies through the minerals council for South Africa have been very supportive. And have actually also provided some additional resources but we need much more resources to tackle this program,” says Doctor Barry Kitnasamy from the national health department.
Provincial chairperson of the Ex-Miners Council, Crosby Ncaba, says there is still a lot of work to be done to reach as many ex-miners as possible.
“Because of the finances, and we are waiting for the budget to be approved, we couldn’t reach certain areas. So, what we have reached it’s just the tip of the iceberg. And as such, we wish to meet all the other areas or the other people as such,” says Ncaba.
Mining companies are also lending a hand hoping to assist workers to get their rightful benefits.
“This is the right step remember most of them are historically in rural areas. But through the gold working group, which eventually formulated a trust called Tshiamiso Trusts, it has got all these outreach programs and whoever could be targeted they use their own platforms to reach out to them,” says Dr Jameson Malemela from Sibanye Stillwater.
Hopes are that the programme will also reach former mineworkers in the SADC region.
“We have spread up to the SADC region, in terms of including Lesotho, Mozambique, and other countries. We have those ex-mineworkers who are coming from those countries,” explains Mmoloki Morake an ex-miners council.
The outreach programs will next be taken to the Ngaka Modiri Molema District, comprising Mahikeng and Lichtenburg amongst others.
Former mineworkers to access unpaid benefits
