By Nokuphila Haji | 2024-05-07

THE Tshiamiso Trust says over E49 million claims have been paid to 541 people in the country since October last year.

Tshiamiso Trust that is responsible for compensating all eligible current and former mine workers across South Africa with permanent impairment due to silicosis or work related issues.

These claims, according to the trust, were E49.9 million and have increased since the trust last conducted the benefit medical examinations (BMEs) in the country. The Chief Executive Officer of the Trust, Dr Munyadziwa Kwinda, said this had seen a spike in lodgements and a total of 1 317 new claims have been lodged.

Kwinda said the trust had seen 3 817 claims lodged in the TEBA offices in the past three years. This was revealed by the trust in their press release yesterday. They said in all these claims there were currently under 800 ex-mine workers currently waiting the BMEs in order for their claims to progress.

Kwinda emphasised on the significance of extending BMEs services in Eswatini, noting that this expansion aligns with the Trust's ongoing commitment to enhancing accessibility and ensuring that all eligible claimants receive the compensation they deserve.

He added that prior to the introduction of BME services, Eswatini claimants faced challenges with progressing to certification of their claims. He said with the launch of these services, they were witnessing a significant increase in claim certifications and the subsequent payment of eligible claims.

“BMEs play an important role in the claims process, serving as a crucial step to provide the necessary evidence of silicosis or tuberculosis. These examinations also assess the extent of lung damage resulting from these occupational diseases which are compensated by the Trust,” he said.

In the press statement, the Trust announced another round of the BMEs that would take place in the country for the period of May.

The BME’s were  aimed at enhancing accessibility for eligible ex-mineworkers seeking compensation for silicosis or tuberculosis.

Kwinda said there was a broad eligibility criteria involved in the process of lodging a claim. He pointed out  that there were 10 different compensation classes and each of them had a different criteria.

“There is a lot to consider for each claim, including not only the severity of the damage, but the period of time that the mine worker worked at a qualifying mine during a qualifying period. All of this impacts what a claimant can be compensated for and how much compensation would be due,” he said.

Kwinda said the BME services will begin in Hlatikhulu on May 6, 8, 9 and 10 moving to Manzini from May 13-16.

He said these areas would be followed by Siteki on May 17 and after this, the BME mobile unit would move to Mbabane from May 20-21 and finish at Pigg’s Peak on May 23.

Kwinda said mineworkers and families of deceased mineworkers who meet the criteria but have not yet lodged a claim were encouraged to do so at the TEBA offices in Mbabane or in Nhlangano, or call the Trust on 00 27 10500 6186.

Kwinda said the broad criteria for eligibility with the Trust included that mineworkers must have carried out risk work at one of the qualifying gold mines during the qualifying period which was between March 12, 1965 and December 10, 2019.

Issued

“For tuberculosis claimants, mineworkers must have been issued with a certificate of medical finding, an approved ODMWA Certificate or Tuberculosis Certificate. Claimants must have undertaken risk work at a qualifying mine during a qualifying period,” he said.

 He stated that the trust remained grateful for the support of from government.

 He said the public could use the following links to check the eligibility to lodge a claim and to also view the claims process:

https://www.tshiamisotrust.com/status-check/ and https://www.tshiamisotrust.com/information/how-to-claim/ respectively.

 Trust to provide one time payments

THE Tshiamiso Trust says people should be aware that compensation will be provided once off.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Trust, Dr Munyadziwa Kwinda, said once eligible claimants receive compensation, they cannot make further claims, even if their condition worsens over time.

This was revealed by the trust in their press release yesterday.

“However, according to the Trust Deed, if a claimant is initially deemed ineligible but later develops symptoms of silicosis, they are permitted to lodge one further claim,” he said.

He said as the Trust operates within a 12 year lifespan, it was imperative that they extend their outreach efforts to ensure that all potential claimants have the opportunity to lodge claims, undergo benefit medical examinations (BMEs) and receive compensation if found eligible.

He added that following the BMEs, the Trust's Medical Certification Panel (MCP) would carefully analyse its findings to ascertain the appropriate certification for each claim, thereby determining whether a claim was certified as eligible or ineligible for compensation. Kwinda further stated that claimants who would  disagree with their results would be offered an opportunity to dispute them.

“In such cases, the findings will undergo review by the Medical Review Panel to ensure a thorough and fair assessment of the claim. This process is designed to uphold transparency and provide recourse for claimants who may have concerns about the initial certification,” he said.

 

Workers

He said current or former mineworkers who have already lodged their claims would be contacted to schedule their appointments for medical examinations if required. Kwinda however stated that the Trust was encountering challenges in reaching claimants to schedule BMEs or notify them about missing documents via SMS. “We strongly encourage claimants to update their contact numbers if the contact numbers have changed after lodgement. This can be done by contacting our call back number, chatting to us on WhatsApp or Facebook, or visiting a TEBA office directly,” he said.

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