…Payment made to emaSwati beneficiaries as at August 21, 2026
BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE– Eswatini former mineworkers and dependants have received more than E127.7 million in compensation from the Tshiamiso Trust for silicosis and work-related tuberculosis (TB), highlighting the significant financial benefit the Kingdom is receiving from the landmark Southern African mining settlement.
The latest figures from the Tshiamiso Trust show that 1 432 payments worth E127 737 145 had been made to beneficiaries in Eswatini as at August 21, 2026. The country had recorded 6 833 claim lodgements and 3 434 Benefit Medical Examinations (BMEs) during the period.
The figures come as the Trust reports a sharp increase in claims activity across its operational footprint, with lodgements rising by 64 per cent year-on-year to 13 337 during the 2025/26 financial year.
According to Mining Weekly, the Trust paid E534 million in compensation to 4 884 eligible claimants during the financial year alone.
Cumulatively, the Trust reported that it had paid E2.53 billion to 26 300 eligible claimants from 156 924 completed lodgements by the time of its annual general meeting.
For Eswatini, the latest country-specific figure means the Kingdom accounts for approximately E127.7 million of the compensation already distributed by the Trust.
The Tshiamiso Trust was established to implement the settlement agreement reached between six mining companies – African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American South Africa, AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, Sibanye-Stillwater and Gold Fields – and claimant attorneys following the historic silicosis and TB class action.
The settlement provides compensation to eligible current and former mineworkers across Southern Africa who suffered permanent cardiorespiratory impairment because of silicosis or work-related TB, as well as dependants of deceased mineworkers.
Eswatini is among six countries outside South Africa where the Trust provides claims services, alongside Lesotho, Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Its services are delivered through a network of 42 lodgement centres across the region.
The latest figures demonstrate the growing importance of the compensation programme to emaSwati former mineworkers who spent years working in South African gold mines.
In May 2025, the Trust had reported that more than E96 million had already been paid to over 1 000 eligible Eswatini claimants, including dependants of deceased mineworkers. At that point, 5 222 claims had been lodged in the Kingdom.
The subsequent increase to E127.7 million and 1 432 payments indicates that the compensation programme has continued to reach more beneficiaries in Eswatini.
However, thousands of potential claims remain in the system. The latest Trust figures show that Eswatini has recorded 6 833 lodgements, meaning the number of claims lodged is substantially higher than the number that have so far resulted in payments.
The Trust has acknowledged that increasing activity has brought operational challenges, including difficulties contacting claimants in remote and cross-border communities, verifying employment histories and obtaining historical medical records, particularly in cases involving deceased mineworkers.
Amendments to the Trust Deed during the reporting period were aimed at improving claims processing and medical certification. The changes include the treatment of previous TB records, updated lung-function reference values and the assessment of certain silicosis claims where spirometry results are unavailable.
These changes have allowed the Trust to resume assessment of a substantial number of previously deferred claims.
The Trust says it is now entering a high-throughput phase, with its focus shifting towards accelerating outreach and streamlining the processing of claims while maintaining fairness, consistency and accountability.
For Eswatini, this could translate into further compensation for eligible former mineworkers and their families, particularly as the Trust continues efforts to reach people who have yet to complete the claims process.
The Trust is expected to continue its services in Eswatini as it works through the remaining years of its claims-lodgement period.
The latest developments underline the continuing financial significance of the historic settlement to Eswatini, where thousands of former mineworkers were exposed to conditions associated with occupational lung diseases during their years in the gold-mining industry.
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(Courtesy Pic)
