July 11th, 2006

The chairman of the Asbestos Relief Trust in South Africa has stated that more than $16 million has been paid out by way of compensation to victims of asbestos related diseased. John Doidge stated that over 100 claims that had been filed had already been dealt with and paid out, and that a further 150 were yet to be dealt with.

This follows a number of claims against Gencor, the company that set up the trust fund a year ago as a result of the litigation. The trust was to be responsible for handling compensation claims for miners and ex-miners suffering from a related disease, locals in the mining area that had become ill, as well as for those that had lost loved ones to asbestos related disease.

Although in the first six months over 600claims were filed, according to Doidge, the trust had to then spend time educating claimants on the procedure as most of the claims filed were inaccurate or not properly completed.

Doidge also stated that over the year, the agency had streamlined its processes in order to make payouts as quickly as possible from the receipt of a claim. He said: "In the case of mesothelioma sufferers, we are paying claimants out within two weeks."