Frustration as silicosis payouts for former gold mineworkers stall

Some families are losing hope as hurdles mount

- By Boitumelo Kgobotlo and Coceka Magubeni

Thousands of former gold mineworkers suffering from lung diseases such as silicosis and tuberculosis are still waiting for compensation years after applying to the Tshiamiso Trust.

The trust was set up after a class action settlement for miners who worked in South African gold mines and were exposed to silica dust.

The lawsuit incorporates former mineworkers from South Africa and the SADC region. The settlement covers those who worked between 1965 and 2019, but some families have lost hope.

Catherine Meyburgh from Justice for Miners said the situation was getting worse, highlighting that many of the former miners have died while still applying or ready to receive compensation.

She said one of the main challenges was the lack of proper medical records. For decades, she said, mining companies and the government failed to keep proper records, especially of black mineworkers, making it difficult for claimants to prove their illness.

Meyburgh told Sunday World that the trust relied on the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases for the silicosis certification and this disadvantaged a number of black miners.

“Black miners were often tested in mine hospitals that didn't keep proper files, and many of those hospitals have since closed. Their records are lost.”