The Minerals Council South Africa has welcomed the judgment handed down in the Johannesburg High Court approving the settlement of the silicosis and tuberculous class action suit.
Minerals Council CEO, Roger Baxter: “The settlement agreement is a product of more than four years of engagement between the parties – not only the six settling companies and the claimants’ attorneys, but also many other entities including various levels of the South African government, other SADC governments, non-governmental organisations, among others. The Minerals Council has been an integral part of the broader process, especially in ensuring that the current compensation systems that fall under the Medical Bureau of Occupational Disease (MBOD) receive additional financial and in-kind support.
“The Minerals Council would like to congratulate the parties to the settlement agreement on their collaborative and problem-solving approach, knowing that it was critical that the outcome needed to consider the needs of the potential claimants and the sustainability of the industry.”
While this is an historic outcome, the next steps in the process are even more important:
- Continuing to ensure that no employees contract silicosis, and the intensive programmes to identify and treat TB
- Ensuring that the statutory compensation that has always been available to former mineworkers under the MBOD is accessible and paid timeously
- The alignment of mineworker compensation systems
- The implementation of the settlement trust
The Minerals Council looks forward to continuing to play a proactive and constructive role in these processes.
Issued by Minerals Council South Africa