See also: History of Asbestos Mining in South Africa

See also the article on the Establishment of the Kgalagadi Relief Trust.

LAUNCH OF THE KGALAGADI RELIEF TRUST
March 2006

Becon, the company dealing with asbestos related issues on behalf of the former Swiss Eternit Group, agreed to establish a fund to provide financial relief to individuals who contracted an asbestos-related disease while employed between 1952 and 1981 at the Kuruman Cape Blue (KCBA) and Danielskuil Cape Blue (DCBA) asbestos mines.

The Kgalagadi Relief Trust (KRT) will provide financial relief over the next 20 years in strict accordance with the court-approved Deed of Trust (which is available elsewhere on this website). A Deed of Trust regulates the claiming procedure and formula for working out the payments.

People who may claim are:

• People employed at the mines operated by KCBA and/or DCBA between 1952 and 1981 who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease with mild, moderate or severe lung function impairment.
• Dependants and children of any former employee who died from mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer less than three years before the claim was lodged.
• People who have contracted an asbestos-related disease from having lived in the immediate vicinity of the above-mentioned mines.

The trustees of the KRT are:

• Phiroshaw Camay, a former trade union activist, past chairman of Rand Water and now an academic.
• Brian Gibson, a specialist in the management of issues relating to asbestos for more than 20 years.
• Dr Markus Heitz, a Swiss medical specialist pulmonologist with intensive experience of asbestos-related diseases.

During March 2006, the trustees introduced the KRT to stakeholders, and the KRT became fully operational from 1 June 2006. The amount of money paid to the KRT by Becon is confidential, but the trustees have been assured by the founders that the KRT will be able to meet its obligations.

The KRT is administered by the Asbestos Relief Trust (ART) that was established in 2003 to provide financial relief to the former employees of asbestos mines operated by Gencor Limited and Gefco. This arrangement avoids unnecessary duplication of costs and improves the operational efficiency as some people qualify to claim against both trusts. The procedures and benefits of the KRT closely resemble that of the ART. All ART offices are able to process claims on behalf of the KRT

Qualifying claimants undergo a free medical screening for signs of compensable asbestos related disease. The results are reviewed by an independent specialist occupational medical panel. Should they have an asbestos-related disease, the benefit paid depends on the age and work history of the claimant, the nature and severity of the disease and the treatment needed. Compensation already paid from other sources such as the Medical Bureau for Occupational Disease (MBOD) or the ART, is deducted from the benefit paid by the KRT.

The trustees make every effort to settle claims within three months of the claim being lodged. Environmental claims may take longer to decide, as extra information is required.