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South African gov't to pay injured, sick miners compensation

Xinhua, May 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

The South African government says it will accelerate the process of compensating miners that have been injured or developed diseases while working.

Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, Godfrey Oliphant, said on Friday that century-old pieces of legislation had delayed the compensation process.

"We want to integrate the legislation to make the system effective, efficient and better to compensate the former and current mine workers. By November 2016 there should be a draft legislation in place," he said.

The government has set aside 1. 5 billion rand (about 95 million U.S. dollars) to pay the former and current miners who are eligible to receive compensation, Oliphant told xinhua.

Some 200,000 cases have been heared, in which 104,000 people have been found eligible for compensation and will be receiving the money, however there are still more than 900,000 cases that haven't been heard, according to the official.

His remarks came after a two-day meeting in Johannesburg over compensation for miners with officials from Lesotho Swaziland and Mozambique.

South Africa has been for years employing migrant workers from other African countries like Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in its mining industry.

Many of them returned to their countries after they became sick or were injured while working, without claiming compensation.

"At one time in the past we had over 3.5 million mine workers and we think a third of those have passed away... We want to trace those in the neighbouring countries and pay them their compensation," Oliphant said.

Lesotho's Minister of Labour, Thulo Tsoeu, welcomed the move by the South African government as it had been long overdue.

Tsoeu told Xinhua that there were currently about 30,000 Lesotho citizens working in mines in South Africa.

He said some victims could not afford traveling to South Africa to apply for compensation and that they agreed there will be a mobile office that will visit all southern African countries.

South African Deputy Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla, said some mine workers were suffering from tuberculosis and silicosis caused by the exposure in the mines. Endit