Botha-Bothe, July 21 T — Tshiamiso Trust has officially launched its campaign to register and trace Basotho ex-miners who are eligible to receive compensation for mining-related illnesses.
The campaign kicked off on Monday in Botha-Bothe and will continue in other districts in the coming weeks.
Speaking during the launch, Tshiamiso Trust Chief Operations Officer, Ms. Tina Da Cruz, said the outreach programme aims at processing claims from former workers of 82 gold mines in South Africa who contracted silicosis or tuberculosis while working in the mines or after retirement.
“Working through The Employment Bureau of Africa (TEBA), we’ve been operational in Lesotho for some time, but there are still many ex-miners whose claims we need to process, as well as those who have yet to lodge their claims. Our team is here to help them complete their applications,” Ms. Da Cruz explained.
She highlighted that Lesotho ranks as the second highest country in terms of the number of its citizens who worked in South African mines, underlining the need for this outreach. “On this first day of the campaign, we are pleased to have received over 400 ex-miners or their beneficiaries. We expect more tomorrow as it will be our final day in Botha-Bothe,” she said. . .
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