KEY POINTS
- Tshiamiso Trust claims rose 64% year-on-year to 13,337 in 2026.
- The trust paid R534-million to 4,884 claimants during the year, taking total payments to R2.53-billion.
- It plans to expand outreach, resolve Zimbabwe claims issues and extend services to Malawi.
The Tshiamiso Trust has recorded a significant increase in claims activity during the 2026 financial year, as it moves into the latter half of its operational lifespan.
The trust said the number of claims lodged during the year rose by 64% year-on-year to 13,337, reflecting growing awareness among former mineworkers and their families about their eligibility for compensation related to occupational diseases.
The increase comes as the trust enters what it describes as a high-throughput phase, requiring it to process a growing volume of claims while maintaining fairness, consistency and accountability.
The Tshiamiso Trust was established following a historic settlement agreement involving six mining companies — African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American South Africa, AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, Sibanye-Stillwater and Gold Fields — and attorneys representing claimants in a class-action case involving silicosis and tuberculosis.
Its mandate is to compensate eligible current and former mineworkers across Southern Africa who developed permanent cardiorespiratory impairment caused by silicosis or work-related tuberculosis.
Compensation can also be paid to dependants of eligible mineworkers who have died.
During the financial year, the trust conducted 9,486 Benefit Medical Examinations as part of its assessment process and paid R534-million in compensation to 4,884 eligible claimants.
Since its establishment, the trust has paid a cumulative R2.53-billion to 26,300 eligible claimants. This follows 156,924 completed claim lodgements, representing a 17% conversion rate from completed lodgements to payments.
The figures highlight the scale of the compensation programme and the increasing workload facing the trust as it works through outstanding applications.
Services expanded across Southern Africa
The trust currently provides claims services through 42 lodgement centres across South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
It has also integrated claims lodgement and follow-up support into Benefit Medical Examination service providers. The approach enables claimants to access multiple services at a single location, helping reduce the need for repeated and often costly travel.
Outreach efforts during the year were particularly focused on Lesotho and the Eastern Cape, where large populations of potential claimants live.
Changes to the Tshiamiso Trust Deed during the reporting period have also helped improve the processing and medical certification of claims.
The amendments address how previous tuberculosis records are treated, introduce updated lung-function reference values and provide for the assessment of certain silicosis claims where spirometry results are unavailable.
According to the trust, these changes have allowed it to resume assessing a substantial number of claims that had previously been deferred.
Despite the increase in claims processing, the trust continues to face significant operational difficulties.
These include reaching claimants in remote and cross-border communities, verifying employment histories and obtaining complete medical records, particularly in cases involving deceased mineworkers.
The trust said these challenges underline the need for better access to historical data, greater operational innovation and stronger cooperation among stakeholders involved in the claims process.
With the remaining claim-lodgement period approaching, the trust plans to intensify outreach and simplify its processing systems while providing greater support to eligible claimants.
It will also work to resolve employment-history records that are affecting claims processing in Zimbabwe and expand its services to Malawi for the first time.
The trust’s chairperson, Dr May Hermanus, said the organisation’s priority is to maintain the integrity of the claims process as it handles increasing volumes of applications. She stressed that each claim represents an individual or family seeking recognition and redress.
