Ex-miner’s 24-yr wait for compensation
NTFONJENI – “I may die in my sleep at any time now.”
These were the words of 73-year-old Shadrack Lukhele of Ntfonjeni, who is a retired mine worker at Bulembu Mine, formerly known as Havelock Asbestos Mine. Lukhele feels he can die at any day from now as he is seriously ill due to three decades of exposure to the mineral.
Asbestosis, the condition which Lukhele suffers, is a serious lung condition caused by long-term exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a fibre-like material that was once used in buildings for insulation, flooring and roofing.
What bothers Lukhele is that most of his former colleagues who were found to have contracted asbestosis were compensated, but he has not received anything.
“I worked at the mine for 29 years. I was employed under the Milling Department from 1969 and retired in 1999. When we were hired, we were required to undergo medical tests to determine if we were healthy and fit for the job. After I had undergone the medical tests, it was found that I was fit and healthy so I was hired,” he said.
The ex-miner alleged that nearly five years into the job, he started getting sick and was constantly coughing. He said doctors tasked to attend to medical needs of employees at the mine would only give him medication but did not diagnose his illness.
“In the 1990s, a European doctor arrived at the mine and he attended to some of us. He informed me that asbestosis had caused too much damage in my body and if I did not get immediate assistance, I would not last two months alive. I was shocked and frightened after his words. He volunteered to ferry me and another colleague to Mbabane at the Labour offices, where some specialists or doctors were stationed for examining patients with the illness,” he said.
Specialists
Lukhele said all three specialists present on the day examined him and when they brought back a combined examination report, they informed him that asbestosis had escalated to 60 per cent in his lungs.
“I also started having heart problems. I was told in hospital that my heartbeat rate was lower than normal. At that point, I had started experiencing sharp pains all over the body, especially at night. Even to this day, I am frequenting hospitals as I am a sickly person. My request is that I get compensated so as to cater for my medical bills, among other needs,” he said.
The former miner said there was an organisation that helped former miners to claim money for compensation. He said the organisation, after further medical examination at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital, and filling of claim forms, informed him that his claim forms had been forwarded to the relevant authority for his compensation claim and it was duly processed so they were still awaiting feedback.
Vama Jele, the Regional Coordinator for the Sothern Africa Miners’Association (SAMA), said his organisation was assisting ex-miners.
SAMA coordinates in nine countries of SADC, namely Bostwana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique,
Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“Almost all asbestos ex-miners diagnosed with asbestosis from Diagnostic Medicine on behalf of Asbestos Relief Trust are assisted by completing a compensation claim form and paid right away within the week after getting the results. Incidents of diagnose confirmed by a doctor in Eswatini cannot guarantee payment from the Trust. Even though the work of the Trust is guided by the Trust Deeds, it is within that mandate that they are assisted,” said Jele.
Meeting
The regional coordinator added that some claimants were paid within a week, while others were compensated within a two week period. “On Thursday last week, the Ministry of Health and that of Labour coordinated a meeting for 100 ex-miners, widows and orphans to learn about the process to access compensation,” he said.
Jele said the workshop was facilitated by the Tshiamiso Trust, which is another Trust managing E5 billion compensation for TB and Silicosis suffered by ex-miners from 1965 to December 2019 working in five gold mines.
According to the Jele, the workshop outlined work to be done and reaching out to communities for such medical services. “This workshop was held at Esibayeni Lodge, Matsapha. It brought delegates from the four regions. Eswatini registered about 7 000 ex-miners with TB and Silicosis and, as of now, about 986 await to do benefit medical examination in order to access compensation,” said Jele.
He said accordingly, the ministries involved and ex-miners agreed that after the workshop they would conduct a planning workshop to reach out to communities to conduct benefit medical examinations in the four regions.