Legacy issue 1

Unclaimed benefits

Thandeka's story

At 26 Thandeka became the head of her household after her father, a former mine worker, passed away. After five years of struggling with dishonesty and bureaucracy while trying to access to her father's pension fund, Thandeka managed to reach Patrick Kgobokoe at the Mine Workers Provident Fund.

Patrick and Thandeka tell the story of when they first spoke on the phone, and finally met. She could not stop crying for two days, she had given up hope. With Patrick's help, Thandeka collected the necessary paper work and was able to receive her father's pension pay-out just under a million rand within one month.

With this money Thandeka has extended their one bedroom house - each sibling now has their own room. She has bought furniture, a car and, most importantly, sent her family to school. Thandeka can fulfil her dream of getting her matric certificate and, hopefully, a job, because of the pay-out she received. Her life is still difficult but, there is hope.

Industry action

Finding the beneficiaries of unclaimed benefits is a national imperative. It is estimated that 332,580 former mineworkers and their families are owed R4.7 billion by five pension and provident funds.

Difficulty in verifying the identity of ex-mineworkers, migration back to labour-sending areas in South Africa and neighbouring countries, as well as workers' and their families' being unaware of their entitlement to claim, have meant that substantial funds remain unclaimed.

The Chamber of Mines has worked closely with the authorities and various pensions funds to track and trace former mineworkers, and share information and outreach programmes.

Over the past two years, the five pension funds have identified and paid approximately 10,000 beneficiaries R65 million in unclaimed benefits.

Collaborative efforts are being intensified.