SA delegation for ex-Wenela payouts expected next week

Sunday Mail Reporter

OFFICIALS from Tshiamiso Trust, which is facilitating compensation for Zimbabweans who contracted respiratory diseases while working in South African mines between 1965 and 2019, will be in the country next week for engagements expected to expedite the pay-outs.

The Trust was created after ex-Wenela workers won a class-action lawsuit at the South African High Court in July 2019.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Ex-Wenela Miners Association chairperson Mr Rodgers Munakamwe said: “The delegation from South Africa will be in the country for the first time since we started negotiations. They will be meeting stakeholders such as Government, medical experts and ex-miners’ associations from October 3 to October 6,” he said.

It is believed that the delegation will also assess the requisite machinery needed to examine ex-miners.

“Most importantly, they will be here to lay a foundation of the compensation process before they do a nationwide outreach in selected areas in the country examining ex-miners. The first meeting will be in Harare where they will meet with Government and associations that represent ex-miners.”

Mr Munakamwe said a capacity building training workshop for ex-miners will also be held.

“We have a lot of people who have not yet registered. We urge them to come forward. If they are now deceased, their relatives should bring their names so that they get recorded in our database. We want to collect as much data as possible and submit it to Tshiamiso.”

Thousands of Zimbabweans migrated to South Africa during the mid-century gold rush to work in gold mines owned by African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony and Sibanye-Stillwater.

As a result of poor ventilation in mines, many contracted respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis and silicosis.

The migrant workers were not paid employment benefits accrued at the mines during their years of service.

Lawyers representing the ex-Wenela workers and the companies reached a R5 billion settlement agreement in 2016, before the South Gauteng High Court approved the settlement in 2019, paving the way for the workers and their dependents to start receiving the money.

Ex-miners from countries such as Malawi and Lesotho have already started receiving their dues from the kitty.