Staff Reporter
Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare has urged all former Ex-Wenela workers to be tested for Pneumoconiosis and Silicosis free of charge and get registered so that they get compensation from their former South African mining companies.
In a Press Statement yesterday, the Ministry revealed that mobile testing and registration will be carried out in all the country’s ten provinces. According to the statement, the mobile team will be in Bulawayo on 31 May 2021 at NSSA Rehabilitation Centre.
“The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare in partnership with the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) will be testing for Pneumoconiosis and Silicosis as well as registration of Ex-Wenela mine workers. This is being done to assist the ex-Wenela mine workers get compensation from South African mining companies. The mobile testing and registration will be carried out in all the country’s 10 provinces,” reads part of the statement.
According to the statement, the ex-Wenela miners are being requested to bring their positive identifications, name of mine worked in South Africa, mine number, the period worked in South African mines. Where the person is deceased, beneficiaries are requested to bring death certificates of the person who participated and details provided above.
As a result of poor ventilation in the mines, many of the employees contracted respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis and silicosis.
Also, the migrant workers were not paid employment benefits accrued during their years of service.
Lawyers representing the ex-Wenela workers and the gold mining companies reached a historic 5 billion ZAR settlement agreement in 2016, before the South Gauteng High Court approved the settlement in July 2019.
At least 8000 Zimbabweans who worked in South African gold mines during the 1960s are yet to receive compensation and unclaimed benefits from six gold mining companies (African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony and Sibanye-Stillwater) they worked for.
