ones
21 June 200
An ecstatic 49 year-old Sambuti Mathali of Ventersburg in the Free State
yesterday become one of the people to receive new assistive devices as part of
the Department of Labour's Compensation Fund's Outreach Programme currently
running in the Free State.
Mathali, who is a paraplegic, received his new wheelchair at the Welkom
Labour Centre during the imbizo outreach programme which started on Monday, 18
June, in Welkom. He was injured while working in a farm in 1990 and lost the
use of his lower body limbs due to his injuries. The former farm worker was
using an old wheelchair he received after he was discharged from hospital many
years ago.
By yesterday, Wednesday, 20 June, 12 claims for new wheelchairs and
prosthesis for amputated limbs were approved.
The campaign has today, Thursday, moved to Bloemfontein and will run until
26 June. It will then progress to Bethlehem on the 27 until the 29 June.
Department of Labour Spokesperson, Zolisa Sigabi said, "The objective of the
outreach programme is to teach the beneficiaries on how to keep their assistive
devices in good working order and increase opportunities of the injured worker
to return to gainful employment in the open labour market."
Currently, the fund is processing claims for compensation from over 47 000
employees who were injured or have acquired occupational diseases and require
assistive devices.
Enquiries:
Zolisa Sigabi
Cell: 082 906 3878
Issued by: Department of Labour
21 June 2007
