Labour on efforts to speed up processing of Compensation Fund
claims

10 May 2006

The Acting Compensation Commissioner Phineas Mothiba has called upon
employers and workers injured while on duty to co-operate with his office in
order to speed up the processing of claims flooding the Compensation Fund.

Responding to an on-going criticism of the Fund, Mothiba said that where
there was co-operation between employers, the fund and those injured either on
duty or having acquired diseases emanating from hazardous conditions at work,
we are able to process and pay claims on time.

He cited the cases of Sasol, Lenasia and ZZ2 accidents, where payments were
done on record time due to the co-operation of stakeholders.

In all cases whereby claims are settled quickly, the Compensation Fund is
provided with all the required documentation almost immediately.

In both the Sasol fire and the ZZ2 truck incidents that claimed the lives of
10 and nine workers respectively, compensation to dependants was paid out
within six weeks of the incidents.

This was possible because employers co-operated fully with the Compensation
Fund and submitted completed claims through Labour centres of the
Department.

“If we can stick to this relationship, we can overcome a number of
challenges. We have actually reached a point where we process claims within 90
days. With this, we plan to improve the turnaround time of processing claims to
60 days.”

Mothiba said as part of bringing services closer to the people, his office
called on the public to use the 124 Labour Centres of the Department that are
found countrywide.

The Compensation Fund is in a phase of renewal and we will continue ensuring
that the interests of the most vulnerable workers, who suffer disabling
injuries or contract disabling diseases in the course of their employment, are
always prioritised. This is the only reason for our existence as the
Compensation Fund.

He said among the challenges still faced the fund included the information
technology (IT) systems that needed to be integrated for operational
efficiency. He has also identified customer satisfaction and advocacy, as the
other two critical issues to be addressed at the Fund.

“In an attempt to bring our services closer to clients we have decentralised
certain functions of the Fund to the Labour Centres and clients are encouraged
to use Labour Centres as points of contact with the Compensation Fund.”

All these initiatives will start showing results by the end of this
financial year.

Enquiries:
Mokgadi Pela
Cell: 082 808 2168

Issued by: Department of Labour
10 May 2006