WENELA PAYDAY AT LAST! Ex-mineworkers to start receiving compensation in November

Sikhumbuzo MoyoTHOUSANDS of ex-Wenela workers in Zimbabwe who suffered permanent lung damage from silicosis and work-related TB will finally start accessing compensation services from next month.The long-awaited process follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tshiamiso Trust and the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) in Harare on Wednesday — a deal that clears the way for payouts to eligible former miners and their families.The services will be available through Baines Occupational Health Services, which was appointed as the official medical assessment provider.

Clinics in Harare, Gweru, and Bulawayo will start helping claimants in November 2025.The compensation applies to former miners who worked in South African gold mines under the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association (Wenela) between March 1965 and December 2019.Tshiamiso Trust Chief Executive Officer, Dr Munyadziwa Kwinda, said the milestone marks a crucial step in honouring those who built South Africa’s mining industry at a heavy personal cost.“Thousands of Zimbabwean ex-mineworkers have been waiting for this moment.

This is about restoring dignity and delivering on the promise made to the men and families who built the mining industry,” said Dr Kwinda.NSSA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Charles Shava, said the partnership brings social protection closer to those who deserve it.“We are ensuring that former mineworkers and their dependents can now access what is due to them, closer to home,” he said.To qualify, applicants must have worked at one of the recognised gold mines during the stated period and must show permanent lung damage caused by silicosis or TB contracted on duty.Those who worked less than five years of risk work will pay R1 900 for a Benefit Medical Examination (BME) — refunded if they qualify for compensation — while those who worked five years or more will receive a free BME.For deceased miners, families must provide proof that the miner died from silicosis or work-related TB within a year of leaving the mines.Leave a ReplyCancel reply

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