It was on 12 February 1995 that Nombulelo Nkomo lost her husband, who had been a breadwinner for the family for many years. Nombulelo’s husband worked in Johannesburg as a miner for 20 years and lost his life on duty.
Sipho and Nombulelo had two children, a teenager in Matric and a 14-year-old still in Grade 8. Despite the challenges and pain of losing her husband, and being the sole provider of the family, Nombulelo did not need to worry about how she would provide for her 2 children. The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA), provides cover to all workers in South Africa if they are injured on duty, or lose their lives as a result of a workplace accident. The COID benefits were able to help this family cover the gap that was left by Nombulelo’s husband’s death by ensuring that Nombulelo received all benefits for her husband. While money can’t bring Sipho back, the COID funds received by this family provided much-needed financial relief.
Thanks to her husband’s employer, Nombulelo didn’t have to worry about how she will take care of her children and provide for her family.
The mine reports the death to RMA, which then administers the COID offering. Using the RMA administration of COID, the mine was able to report the death of her husband. The COID fund was able to provide her with the necessary financial assistance to continue living without the financial loss of Sipho.
When Nombulelo received these funds through COID, she did not immediately go on a shopping spree or get swept up in glitz and glamour, spending her money on less important things.
It was clear to Nombulelo that she wanted to secure a long-term future for her and her children. She did a lot of research into how best to spend the pay-out that she received.
Using some of the money, she and her children were able to renovate their Eastern Cape home into a comfortable home. This created an environment that helped them complete their schooling and university studies.
As a result of the COID funds received by Nombulelo’s daughter Zizipho, she was not only able to buy that special dress for her matric farewell, but was also able to pay for her university fees. Having graduated from law school, Zizipho is now a qualified lawyer. Tumi, her son, matriculated and had the means to attend college, buy a small car, and open a service centre in his hometown. A few essentials were also purchased with the funds to help generate income for his business. As a result of his experience, he realized he also had to register his employees for COID to ensure their families are also protected.
A truly heart-warming story is thanks to her husband’s employer who chose RMA to administer the COID benefit, which paid out the funds, and the financial understanding which Nombulelo had to ensure the success of family to create a sustainable future for their entire family.
