No joy from Department of Labour
"I can't work and I can't do any of the things I used to. My quality of life is badly diminished, I have astronomical medical bills and no income"
RECORD has been following the ongoing battle between Johan Jacobs and the Department of Labour for a long time.
Here is our update.
In 2002, Jacobs lost his footing on a wet surface at work and fell, causing some spinal damage.
Subsequently, Jacobs had to get an operation to fuse his spine due to the injury; days after this, Jacobs felt his leg become numb so he went to the doctor and he got the horrific news that they would have to amputate his leg because gangrene had taken hold.
Months later, Jacobs felt a familiar sensation in his remaining leg and sadly, once again, that leg also had to be removed.
“I can’t work and I can’t do any of the things I used to. My quality of life is badly diminished, I have astronomical medical bills and no income,” says Jacobs.
Jacobs’ case initially appeared to gain some traction after RECORD got involved in the case, but it soon became clear that it was going nowhere.
Case is closed
The Department of Labour had said they would thoroughly investigate the case and after a few weeks, Jacobs received an email (in our possession) from compensation representative Gambush Mpakati that stated: “The fund has investigated your matter and according to our records, the claim was accepted by the fund with medical expenses and your claim was assessed and you were paid the money due.”
According to Jacobs, however, they only paid for the fusion and nothing else, namely the two leg amputations, months in the hospital and all its fees, loss of income, etc.
“They never even looked at the follow-up doctor’s reports and there were various on-going medical bills, etc. They don’t seem to care,” says Jacobs.
The department has closed the case but Jacobs says he will keep on them to come to the party and pay him what is fair so that he can go on with his life and have at least some semblance of a life that he currently has.
Also read:
Waiting for compensation for 14 years
UPDATE: Still no joy from compensation fund
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