Isaac Moletsi alleges the Compensation Fund has failed to finalise his claim despite severe injuries that left him permanently unable to work.
Image for illustrative purposes. Picture: iStock
An injured former steelworker has accused the Compensation Fund of failing to resolve his injury-on-duty claim for nearly two decades, alleging bureaucratic delays, poor communication and administrative failures have left him without compensation, despite his life-altering injuries.
Isaac Moletsi says his claim has remained unresolved since he sustained serious injuries while working for a steel company in Chamdor, Kagiso, when a runaway overhead crane allegedly crushed him at work.
Nearly two decades without a resolution
The complaint comes as the fund faces claims of alleged dubious administration, procurement and governance practices, which have raised questions about whether it was effectively fulfilling its mandate to protect injured workers.
Moletsi said the workplace accident left him permanently incapacitated, eventually requiring bilateral total hip replacement surgery and leaving him unable to return to work.
He was injured around July 2007 and nearly 20 years later, Moletsi says he is still waiting for the fund to determine his claim.
Beyond the lengthy delay, he alleges he experienced dismissive treatment from some officials.
“The question I beg you to ask them is whether I was protected enough as a worker in South Africa,” said Moletsi.
Medical and financial hardships continue
Now 60, he says he continues to live with chronic medical complications stemming from the accident, including complications from his bilateral hip replacement surgery and a pulmonary embolism.
According to correspondence seen by The Citizen, he has repeatedly appealed to senior Compensation Fund officials, including the commissioner and senior executives, seeking intervention.
His employer initially complied with the requirements of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act and ensured he got emergency treatment after the accident.
However, before his claim could be finalised, Moletsi said his employer entered voluntary liquidation and the liquidation process lasted almost 11 years before being concluded in September 2020.
Liquidation complicates the claim
Moletsi said once the liquidation had ended, he was advised his claim could be reactivated.
But the fund informed him the claim had prescribed because too much time had elapsed.
Moletsi said the lengthy delay was entirely beyond his control because it coincided with the company’s liquidation.
He added attorneys responsible for the liquidation said they had destroyed his files after the liquidation was finalised.
He also said he was retrenched after being declared permanently incapacitated and got Unemployment Insurance Fund benefits for a while.
He later received a temporary disability grant.
The fund had not responded to questions by the time of publishing.
