Labour gets over 3 000 COVID-19 claims

The Department of Employment and Labour has received over 3 000 COVID-19 related claims.

The department has received a total of 3 424 COVID-19 claims, with 2 036 of these being handed directly to the Compensation Fund (CF), while 1 314 were directed to Rand Mutual and 74 claims were handed to Federated Employers.

Rand Mutual — which operates under a licence granted by the Minister of Employment and Labour, and covers mostly workers in the mining, iron and steel industries — has paid out R3.3 million in dependent benefits, while the CF has paid R202 172 in medical aid claims for workers who have contracted COVID-19 while on duty.

Of the 2 036 claims received by the CF, 1 425 came from the Western Cape, 319 from the Eastern Cape with, 145 from KwaZulu-Natal, 69 from Gauteng, 45 from Mpumalanga, 29 from the North West, three from Limpopo and one from the Northern Cape.

The CF has accepted liability for 1 229 claims, which represents 60.4% of the claims received. The fund repudiated 193 (9.5% of claims), while 614 await adjudication, which represents 30.1% of the claims received directly.

The claims received by Rand Mutual are as follows:  949 from Gauteng, 137 from the Eastern Cape, 67 from the Western Cape, 56 from KwaZulu-Natal, 29 from the North West, 21 from Limpopo, 18 from the Free State, while 37 are unknown.

Of the 1 314 claims received so far, 1 253 (95.4%) are pending adjudication.

Federated Employers, which represents workers mostly in the construction sector, received 74 claims, 26 of which are from the Western Cape, 26 from Gauteng, nine from the Northern Cape, 8 from the North West, four from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Free State.

CF Commissioner Vuyo Mafata said in cases where the claims have been repudiated, with better information, the claims could still be approved and the CF will accept liability.

In the meantime, the department has appealed to companies to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken to safeguard the lives of workers in the workplace.

The department encouraged all workers to do the basics like washing hands, keeping safe distances where possible and wearing the appropriate protective gear, including a mask covering the nose and mouth.