Kgalagadi Relief Trust (KRT) 

 

The Asbestos Relief Trust endeavours to be accessible to potential claimants, as well as to provide information to claimants and all other stakeholders. The Trust was the first of its kind. It remains an international benchmark for occupational health trusts globally. As at February 2024, the Asbestos Relief Trust had paid out R465 million to 4800 claimants.

The Trust has processed claims from claimants located in the geographical areas around former asbestos mines in the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo through its outreach work, it has also processed claims from migrant workers residing in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.

The system (ARTMIS) covers a network of doctors across Africa and neighbouring countries to conduct medical examinations, as required by the Trust Deed, to diagnose Asbestos-Related lung diseases. The information management system enables the organisation to have all the medical and administrative information available electronically and to manage the individual’s claim efficiently over a number of years. It also enables a palliative care nurse programme servicing the greater Kuruman area to provide palliative care, support and counselling to persons diagnosed with Asbestos-Related lung cancer and mesothelioma.

On 3 December 2018, the Gauteng Local Division of the High Court of South Africa granted an order permitting a class action lawsuit to be brought against Tiger Brands Limited by Richard Spoor Inc Attorneys and LHL Attorneys Inc., as joint legal representatives of the class, with Marler Clark LLP as a consultant to the Attorneys. The class action is brought on behalf of those sickened by Listeria-tainted polony and the families of those who lost loved ones.

Spot was appointed by the Court and the Department of Health to track, trace and monitor the patients that were affected by the outbreak.

Upon refining the dataset, Spot Settlements created an extensive distribution map of South Africa, pinpointing the location of every potential class member. This map was integrated with the locations of key public facilities such as police stations, post offices, and significant government buildings to facilitate the tracing process. The initial attempts at contact were conducted via mail, email and cellphone. In instances where these methods proved insufficient, regional searches were conducted in-person by professional trackers and tracers, who operated in coordinated teams nationwide.

To date, these efforts have successfully resulted in the tracking, tracing, and onboarding of over 800 clients. Spot’s system also ensures the secure storage and organisation of all client records, maintaining a comprehensive history of contact for each individual.