Firms pledge R5m to speed up claims from ill miners

A mineworker works at the rock face at the Impala Platinum mine in Rustenburg, South Africa, on Wednesday, June 4, 2008. Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd is the world's second-biggest platinum producer. Photographer: Nadine Hutton/Bloomberg News

A mineworker works at the rock face at the Impala Platinum mine in Rustenburg, South Africa, on Wednesday, June 4, 2008. Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd is the world's second-biggest platinum producer. Photographer: Nadine Hutton/Bloomberg News

Published Jun 1, 2015

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Johannesburg - There may be hope on the horizon for sick mineworkers who are waiting for compensation.

Eight mining companies pledged R5-million to a new project that aims to address the backlog of compensation claims from mineworkers.

The project, titled Ku-Riha, which means “compensation” in Tsonga, was launched between the Department of Health and African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, DRDGold, Gold Fields, Harmony, Sibanye Gold and Village Main Reef in Carletonville on Friday.

Ku-Riha is an attempt to address the backlog of compensation claims from mineworkers who have suffered occupational lung diseases, as well as to ensure that new valid claims are paid in a reasonable time frame.

In a statement, the companies said the project builds on work done between the Department of Health and the Chamber of Mines that led to the establishment of the first two one-stop health and social welfare centres for current and former mineworkers. The first centres, of which more are planned, are in Carletonville, a mining area in Gauteng, and Mthatha, an area in the Eastern Cape that supplies labour.

These centres offer medical examinations, rehabilitation assessment, health promotion and counselling, as well as referrals to specialists if necessary. Patients can be diagnosed, treated and receive other assistance at these centres, such as help submitting claims to the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases for compensation.

ANA

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