Businesswomen enlightened about compensation fund

The Department of Labour together with the Limpopo branch of the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa (Bwasa) convened a compensation commissioner’s breakfast networking session at Uhuru Lifestyle Emporium on Monday with the aim of familiarising women in business with channels at their disposal for their businesses to be in good standing,.
The gathering was for labour officials to acquaint attendees with information relating to platforms such as CF-Filling and Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (Coid) systems, injuries at the workplace and injured employees rehabilitation processes among others.
The newly appointed Chairperson of Bwasa Limpopo, Tshepo Mathabatha highlighted the purpose of the session as a platform that would ensure that employers build a safer and healthy working environments for employees. Her message was echoed by the Compensation Fund’s chief director for provincial operations, Johanna Machaba, who stated that they have a memorandum of understanding with business organisations to inform them of various labour laws.
The compensation commissioner, Vuyo Mafata indicated that the Fund is always in the news for the wrong reasons due to non-payments of compensation funds hence they had to come up with a turn-around strategy to provide faster, reliable and accessible Coid services.
He explained the aim of Coid as an act that strives to provide compensation in the case of disablement caused by occupational injuries and diseases, sustained or contracted by employees in the course of their employment, or death resulting from such injuries and diseases; and to provide for matters connected therewith.
According to Mafata, they have introduced new online platforms to make it easy for claimants to access funds and for employers to make relevant payments. He stressed that 90% of pay-outs were medical benefits, adding that they process over 200 000 claims a year.
On the issue of online platforms, Precious Mdlokovana, who made a presentation on CF-Filling and e-coid, reiterated that the systems are for employers to submit whatever material to acquire a letter of good standing. She added that the systems also help companies to pay money in correct bank accounts and went on to indicate that e-coid start operating in the next six months.
When making a presentation on return to work and rehabilitation, chief director for orthotics, rehabilitation and labour activation programme Farzana Fakir said: “If an employee is unable to carry out duties they were hired for due to injury, we have a programme to equip them with new skills for them to be absorbed in another department in the same company. We have health professionals who manage injury cases and assist us to monitor injured employees until they get back to work.”
Attendees were spotted taking notes and they were later afforded an opportunity to seek clarity on what was presented. The networking session continued over a mouth-watering breakfast after all the presentations.

Story and photos: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za