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Ex-miners seek government intervention, names missing

 

Ex-Miners Association of Malawi has asked government to intervene in identifying names of Malawians who are entitled to benefit from South African mining firms following missing of some names.

Between the 1960s and 1980s, several Malawians trekked to South Africa to work in mines under an arrangement with Teba Limited, which served South African mining companies and mineworkers throughout southern Africa for more than a century.

Miners
Miners

However, most of Malawians did not get their benefits when the arrangement ended in the 1990s; hence, the formation of an association to act as a platform for claiming what is due to them in an organised manner.

Over the years, the ex-miners have been promised by South African mining firms that they would get their benefits, but up to now they have not received their dues.

Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of a meeting with ex-miners in the Northern Region on Thursday, ex-miners president John Dick said the money is now available and would be deposited directly in the beneficiaries’ accounts.

He said what remains is for the association to ensure that only rightful beneficiaries receive the money.

“The total number of ex-miners who were supposed to benefit is 60 000 but only 36 000 were approved by the Ministry of Labour, Youth and Manpower Development and out of those, only 9 400 names have been identified,” he said, appealing to government to help those whose names are missing on the list of beneficiaries.

Dick advised the ex-miners to fill in the right information on the forms to ease processing, saying only those with acceptable documents from relevant authorities would eventually receive their money.

Mavuto Kauteka, who is claiming money on behalf of his deceased father, said his father had waited for a long time for the benefits up until he died.

“My father never had a chance to claim what he worked for and I am hoping to finally collect what he deserved,” he said.—Mana

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