By Own Correspondent

THE compensation exercise for Ex-Wenela workers in Zimbabwe has kicked off with Tshiamiso Trust making a call for service providers with expertise in claims lodgement and medical examinations to come on board.

The Ex-Wenela workers will start receiving payments ranging from R10 000 to R50 000 per individual in compensation. The compensation is applicable to employees who carried out risky work at the mines between March 12, 1965 and December 10, 2019, and were diagnosed with silicosis before December 2021.

Workers who contracted tuberculosis while working at the mines or within a year of leaving the mines are also entitled to receive compensation.

In an update this week Tshiamiso Trust – an organization set up after ex-Wenela workers won a class-action lawsuit in the South African High Court in July 2019 to handle the compensation process said to ensure that Zimbabwean claimants have access to the support they deserve,  service providers who can offer support services are free to come on board.

“Claim Lodgement Facilities who can provide a centralized location for claimants to submit documents, undergo biometric verification, and receive guidance on the claims process as well as service providers who can conduct thorough medical assessments to determine eligibility for compensation based on the severity of lung impairment caused by high exposure to silica dust can come on board,” said the organisation.

Qualified medical service providers with experience in diagnosing occupational lung diseases are encouraged to submit proposals by the 18^th of October 2004 for proposal submissions.

In addition to the administrative requirements associated with the lodgement process, the medical service providers need to have the necessary qualifications, registration and experience in the diagnosis of occupational lung diseases. 

The facilities, with specific staffing and technological requirements, would need to be equipped to conduct digital chest x-rays, vital screening and physical examinations, lung function/spirometer tests, and issue medical reports.

 The Trust said that it is considering workers who were employed by African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American South Africa, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony Gold and Sibanye-Stillwater.