By Majirata Latela
Non-profit organisation Justice for Miners Forum-Lesotho Chapter has once again raised concerns regarding compensations of former mineworkers who it laments are becoming a burden on Lesotho while South Africa is enjoying the economic benefits from those miners.
The three stakeholders, Catholic for Justice and Peace, Ex- Miners Association Lesotho and Mine Workers Development Agency yesterday released a statement, begging government and other stakeholders to lead the campaign of raising awareness among the affected ex-miners and their dependents.
“We would like to enlighten the government of Lesotho, other civil society and public at large about the settlement and the need to encourage, educate and assist sick ex-miners and dependants to efficiently and without costs apply for their compensations.
“We’d also like to call upon the government of Lesotho to be part of the narrative and start robust engagements with their SA counterparts to ensure smooth and speedy payments of examiner’s compensations through legal and institutional reforms where needed,” said Ex-Miners Association of Lesotho’s Rantšo Mantsi.
The organisation further shows that the Tshiamiso Trust will soon start compensation of those miners who have been confirmed to have contacted Tuberculosis and Silicosis while working the Gold mines.
The Trust was established to carry out the terms of the settlement agreement reached between six mining companies and claimant attorneys in the historic silicosis and TB class action.
It is responsible for ensuring that all eligible current and former mineworkers across southern Africa with silicosis or work-related TB (or their dependants where the mineworker has passed away) are compensated. These beneficiaries are front and centre in all that the Trust does.
With the Trust having given this go-ahead, the organisation also appealed to the it to help speed up the process of paying the ex-miners’ compensation before they all die.
They further want the trust to maintain and support the two health centres in Mafeteng and Maseru tasked with continuous lung function testing of ex- mineworkers.
