THE Tshiamiso Trust urges all former gold mineworkers and their families to check if they are eligible to lodge a claim to be compensated for permanent lung damage from silicosis or work-related TB.
According to a statement issued by the Tshiamiso Trust, the Eastern Cape province holds the highest concentration of Tshiamiso Trust claim lodgements and payments in South Africa, with a total of R516 million already paid to 5,443 eligible beneficiaries from the province, and many more set to potentially benefit.
Dr. Munyadziwa Kwinda, CEO of the Tshiamiso Trust, emphasised the importance of reaching out to all eligible claimants: “We urge all ex-mineworkers or their families where a mineworker has passed away, to lodge their claims at their nearest TEBA office. Time is of the essence, and we want to ensure that we afford an opportunity to all eligible claimants to lodge and receive the compensation that is due to them.”
To lodge a claim, mineworkers must have carried out risk work at one of the qualifying gold mines during the qualifying periods between 12 March 1965 and 10 December 2019, as indicated in schedule F of the Trust Deed.
Living mineworkers must have permanent lung impairment from silicosis or TB that they contracted while doing risk work at these mines.
For deceased mineworkers, there must either be evidence that they died from work-related TB within a year of leaving the mine if it’s a TB claim, or evidence that they had silicosis or died from silicosis if it’s a silicosis claim.
Claimants are encouraged to ensure that the Trust has their latest contact details, and that they have submitted all the required documentation, especially documents that prove the medical cause of death for deceased mineworkers. This is preventing many claims from progressing and requires urgent intervention.
Tshiamiso Trust CEO Dr Munyadziwa Kwinda explains, “The Trust is deeply concerned about the inability to contact claimants in the Eastern Cape.
“Currently, we have over 1,400 former mineworkers who urgently need to be scheduled for Benefit Medical Examinations (BMEs) with our medical service provider there. BMEs are crucial to determine the presence of a Qualifying Disease and the extent of lung damage if the mineworker has a Qualifying Disease.
“We are also struggling to reach many claimants who need to submit additional documentation. When claimants change their contact numbers after lodging their claims without updating the Trust, it creates a significant barrier, preventing us from providing essential updates on their claims and hindering necessary verifications during the payment stage.”
For more information and to check eligibility, contact the Trust in one of the following channels:
. Phone the call centre – 080 100 0240
. Send a “Please call me” to 072 557 8077
. Chat on WhatsApp – 00 27 78 504 9004 (select option 12 from the menu)
. Send us a message on Facebook (@silicosissettlement)
. Email info@tshiamisotrust.com
. Visit your nearest TEBA office. Please note that the TEBA office in Komani (formerly Queenstown) has closed permanently on 30 November 2024.
