Johannesburg - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe opened a one-stop service centre in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, on Monday for former and present miners.
The centre would provide miners and their beneficiaries with health and rehabilitation services, social services, and compensation and benefit management services, Motlanthe said in a speech prepared for delivery.
The centre was in the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital complex in the small town.
Motlanthe said the centre's resources, expertise and equipment would also be open to the community to improve efficiency and extend benefits.
The framework of the centre was to:
- Set up a comprehensive database for current and former mineworkers;
- Map current mines, the workers employed there and range of services provided;
- Provide access to comprehensive health services, including screening and rehabilitation;
- Access to compensation benefits;
- Access to benefits such as unemployment insurance and;
- Pension and provident fund benefits.
He said the initiative was supported by the private sector, and development partners such as UNAids and most members of the Southern African Development Community.
He said lessons from the Eastern Cape centre would be applied to other centres to be set up in other provinces.