Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo , Senior Reporter
THE National Social Security Authority (Nssa) is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today with a South African-based organisation, Tshiamiso Trust, setting the stage for medical examinations and eventual compensation for ex-Wenela workers.
The agreement would provide the legal framework for the trust to manage claims, conduct medical assessments and disburse payments to eligible former mineworkers and their dependants, ensuring a smooth and transparent rollout of the compensation process.
In an interview on the sidelines of a Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare strategic planning workshop underway in Bulawayo, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Mr Simon Masanga, said all was set for the ceremony with a service provider to carry out the medical examinations already identified.
At least 1,000 Zimbabweans who worked in South African gold mines from the 1960s to the 1980s under the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association (Wenela) are set to benefit from the compensation scheme for silicosis and tuberculosis contracted while on duty.
“From 2017, we had been engaging Tshiamiso Trust and the South African Government under the bi-national commission between the two countries,” said Mr Masanga.
“Initially, it was a bit difficult, but we have now managed to make a breakthrough with a draft MoU that will be signed between Nssa and Tshiamiso Trust in Harare tomorrow (today) to facilitate a service provider that has already been identified to conduct thorough medical examinations,” he said.
Mr Masanga said the process will involve compensation for diseases acquired during the employees’ work period in South Africa and those set to be examined are already known.
“We have registers to that effect and what now remains will be to carry out these examinations to determine if one qualifies or not. This is not a pension, people who were working in these mines were seasonal workers and would get their dues, but for diseases that they acquired and continue to affect them,” said Mr Masanga.
Eligible workers will receive payments ranging from R10,000 to R500,000 per individual, depending on the severity of the illness and terms of the settlement, said Mr Masanga.
The programme will cover former employees of major mining companies, including African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American South Africa, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony Gold and Sibanye-Stillwater.
Workers who carried out risky work between March 12, 1965, and December 10, 2019, and were diagnosed with silicosis before December 2021 or contracted tuberculosis while employed or within a year of leaving the mines qualify for compensation.
Tshiamiso Trust, established in 2020 following a successful class action lawsuit in South Africa’s High Court in 2019, manages the compensation process.
“This is a milestone moment for ex-Wenela mineworkers. Thousands of men and their families who worked in South African mines and returned home with work-related illnesses will soon access the compensation they have been waiting for,” said Mr Masanga.
He said the Government was actively engaging Tshiamiso Trust to ensure the operationalisation of the payment process. “We are working closely with the trust to make sure that all systems are in place for a smooth and timely rollout.”
The trust has already paid over R1 billion to settle more than 11,000 claims from ex-workers from other countries, such as Malawi, highlighting the scale and significance of the programme regionally.
Ex-Wenela Miners Information Trust chairperson, Mr Charles Nyawasha, speaking to Sunday Mail last week, said they were excited that the Government had finally heard their pleas by granting Tshiamiso Trust permission for the p
He said now that the process was rolling into motion, fellow ex-Wenela miners can finally get the opportunity to make contact with Tshiamiso Trust, the organisation established to fulfil the terms of the class action the court agreed upon way back in 2018.
Mr Nyawasha said the programme marks long-overdue recognition of the sacrifices and hardships endured by Zimbabwean mineworkers.
“Our members have waited decades for this moment. We urge all ex-mineworkers and their families to prepare their documents and make use of the services that will soon be available,” he said.
