About the Compensation Fund
The Compensation Fund is a public entity linked to the Department of Employment and Labour. It was established under the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, known as COIDA. The Fund pays compensation to workers who are hurt, who contract a disease, or who die because of a workplace incident. It also covers related medical costs.
Payouts are only part of its mission. The Fund also has a vocational rehabilitation mandate. This work helps injured workers, and their families, to return to the labour market or to start earning in other ways.
How the Fund supports students
For this reason, the Fund runs an external bursary programme, often called the COID bursary. It is paid from the Fund's own resources. It does not come from general government education budgets. The bursary supports two main groups. The first group is unemployed COID beneficiaries who live with permanent disablement from a work injury or disease. The second is the dependants of beneficiaries and of employees who died on duty.
Recent calls say that applicants must be South African citizens. Dependants are generally between 17 and 35 years old, and they must show proof of the parent's or guardian's COID pension or claim number. Applicants must already have been accepted at a recognised public institution. That can be a TVET college, a Community Education and Training college or a higher education institution.
Funding therefore reaches people who might not otherwise afford to study. As a result, a family hit by a workplace tragedy can still plan for a qualification and a future income.
What to know before applying
Applications are handled by the Sub-Directorate: Vocational Rehabilitation at Compensation House in Pretoria. You can download the application form from the Department of Employment and Labour website. Alternatively, you can collect one at your nearest Provincial Labour Centre.
Gather your proof of acceptance, identity document and COID claim details before you start. Be careful to supply every document the form asks for. An incomplete file can slow down your case.
Patience is also needed. According to the call notices, an applicant who hears nothing within two months of applying should treat the application as unsuccessful. Closing dates and the number of awards change each year, so confirm them on the official website. In addition, the amount of funding is not stated here, so ask the Fund what the award covers. Never pay anyone to help you apply. If you are unsure which category applies to you, speak to staff at a Provincial Labour Centre. They can explain the process and help you complete the form correctly.
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