Special presidential package for the revitalisation of distressed mining communities’ pilot on the payment of unpaid pensions and provident funds for ex-mineworkers
As part of the Special Presidential Package for the Revitalisation of Distressed Mining Communities the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the Financial Services Board (FSB) conducted a pilot project in Port Elizabeth, Kwazakhele, Daku Square, Dibanisa Road, eBhayi to collect information of ex-mineworkers who have still not received their pension and provident funds. Some of these unpaid benefits date back as far as the 1970’s. The pilot ran from the 4th to the 6th of July 2016 in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
The pilot followed a request from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality for the FSB to assist with several requests made by ex-mineworkers for assistance to receive their unpaid financial benefits. The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality arranged community volunteers who worked with the FSB and DPME team to collect the records of all the ex-mineworkers in the area. These records will be used to search for the potential benefits due to these ex-mineworkers.
The ex-mineworkers raised several concerns which included the long duration it may take for their benefits to be paid out. Other concerns were that widows failed in the past to receive their deceased husband’s employment records from their previous employers. Several documents were presented to be used to track and trace the ex-mineworkers unpaid financial benefits these included old pay slips, chamber of mines industry numbers, old dom pass ID numbers, provident and pension fund letters, old payslips, old TEBA mining company cards.
Numerous ex-mineworkers explained that in the past they experienced numerous challenges in getting their unpaid benefits including people who solicited money from ex-mineworkers in exchange for services to assist them to obtain their unpaid benefits. The pilot illustrated the need for improved integration of the various support programs to ex mineworkers which also include bringing support to better deal with occupational health diseases in the historical major mine labour sending areas as several mineworkers requested assistance with compensation for Silicosis and TB. An improved integrated process will now be rolled out in the major historical mine labour sending areas of the OR Tambo District Municipality (King Sabata Dalindyebo, Nyandeni, Nquza Hill, Mhlontlo, Port St Johns) , Alfred Nzo District Municipality (Mbizana, Ntabankulu) and the Zululand District Municipality (AbaQulusi, eDumbe, Nongoma, Ulundi, uPhongolo).
Following an instruction from the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Special Presidential Package for the Revitalisation of Distressed Mining Communities a workshop was held on the 24th of June 2016 hosted by the Department of Planning Monitoring & Evaluation (DPME) that brought together the Financial Services Board (FSB), representatives of pension and provident funds, the Chamber of Mines and trade unions, officials from the National Treasury, the Department of Health Compensation Fund, the Department of Labour Unemployment Insurance Fund, the Department of Social Development and the South African Social Services Agency, the Government Pensions Administration Agency, Rand Mutual Assurance and TEBA including Social partners such as the World Bank.
A Steering Committee on Unclaimed Benefits led by DPME and the development of Task Teams covering Legal, Administrative (Database and IT system) and Tracking and Tracing interventions have been established to ensure unpaid pensions and provident funds reach ex-mineworkers. The South African government, through the Special Presidential Package for the Revitalisation of Distressed Mining Communities chaired by Minister Radebe (Minister in the Presidency) is providing the necessary pressure to ensure that unclaimed funds for workers and ex-workers are paid out.
The DPME Acting Director–General, Mr Tshediso Matona illustrated at the workshop of the 24th of June 2016 that this multi-stakeholder co-ordinated effort to pay out unpaid pensions and provident funds to ex-mineworkers is as important step towards alleviating poverty and restoring the dignity of our people who contributed to these funds over their working lives.
Enquiries:
Mpho Ndaba
Director: Revitalisation of Distressed Mining (DPME)
Cell: 072 435 8417
