Cape Town - The public has been warned about scammers impersonating compensation fund agents and offering assistance to former mine workers with their compensation fund applications.
A joint statement from three ministries expressed concern about a poster circulating on social media platforms bearing the face of Paseka Motsoeneng, also known as self proclaimed Pastor Mboro.
National government has delegated the responsibility of coordinating the countrywide ex-mineworkers compensation programme to the Deputy Minister of Health Sibongiseni Dhlomo; the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, Boitumelo Moloi and the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Nobuhle Nkabane.
The departments said no individual or organisation has been outsourced to carry out this mandate on behalf of the government.
In the poster former mine workers and their families are invited to be assisted with compensation fund applications, and offering feedback to those who have already applied of their application status.
An event was purported to have been organised to take place on Monday at Maluti TVET College.
“The government distances itself from this event and consider this as a scam by conmen who want to advantage of, and enrich themselves from the plight of former mineworkers (and their dependants) who might have contracted TB, Silicosis and other occupational lung diseases while working in the mines between March 1965 and December 2019, and those who were not paid their pension or provident funds.”
The ex-mineworkers compensation programme is part of the government's efforts to track, trace and pay the former mine workers or their dependents who qualify for compensation funds, class action settlement funds and pension or provident funds.
The Deputy Ministers have been leading this programme to several communities around the country, starting with KwaZulu-Natal, followed by the Eastern Cape.
For information about the Ex-miners Compensation Fund Programme, members of the public can call the Call Centre on 080 1000 240/ 010 500 6186/ Send a Please Call Me to 072 557 8077
Cape Times