Ex -Wenela miners registration begins in Masvingo
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Harare (New Ziana)-Government will this week take the mobile testing and registration exercise for Zimbabweans for former Wenela workers who worked in South African gold mines during the 1970s to Masvingo , an official said on Tuesday.
Wenela is an acronym for the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association comprising former South African mine workers drawn from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana and Mozambique.
The exercise is meant to facilitate the compensation of the former mine workers who contracted respiratory diseases while working for South African Mining companies.
In a statement, secretary for Public Service , Labour and Social Welfare Simon Masanga said the testing and registration of ex- Wenela miners living in and around Masvingo and Chiredzi will begin on Friday 15, October 2021.
“The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare in partnership with the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) will be testing for Pnuemoconiosis and Silicosis as well as registration of the Ex-Wenela Mine workers. This is being done to assist the EX-Wenela miners to get compensation from South Africa Mining Companies.
“For registration, the Ex- Wenela mines are requested to bring the following details: positive identity document, name of mine worked in South Africa, mine number (if it exists), the period worked in South Africa mines,” said the Ministry.
Where the person is deceased, said the Ministry, beneficiaries are requested to bring the death certificate of the person who participated in the Wenela programme.
The mobile testing and registration is being carried out in phases in all the ten provinces of the country.
Last month, the registration of ex- Wenela workers was done in Harare and surrounding areas.
Thousands of Zimbabweans migrated to South Africa in the 1970s to work in the mines, but their pensions are yet to be released by the mining companies.
South African mines reached a conditional settlement to pay compensation of up to R500 000 each to thousands of Zimbabweans who used to work in the neighbouring country’s mines in the 1970’s.
New Ziana
