Moshupa pipeline claims fourth life
Staff Writer | Tuesday August 16, 2022 06:00
The recent death of a heavy plant driver, Mogomotsi Mooketsa, 29, occurred on July 16, three months after two employees lost their lives when they were buried alive under a four-metre deep trench that caved in while they were laying pipes.
Mooketsa met his fate while on duty when an oncoming truck rammed into his JCB, killing him. He was laid to rest on July 23 in Moshupa.
His family is still looking for answers as to how a road construction site that was supposed to have been lined with barriers, was so easily breached, leading to the unfortunate loss of his life.
The other victim, a man in his early 40s was not an employee, but a resident of Moshupa, who stumbled into an unmarked trench dug by the company in the middle of the village and drowned. He was found days later after the trench was drained. The incident happened in October last year. At the family home, the deceased’s uncle, Dinko Mooketsa told The Monitor they have approached the Chinese contractor regarding compensation for the loss of their ‘son’, as well as reimbursement for funeral expenses.
“We have written a letter to them, to show them how much the family spent on the funeral of the person who died on duty. They only contributed P5,000, which was not enough to even buy him a coffin. We have made our feelings known to them that we are not happy with their attitude. They also do not seem to have compensation for loss of life at their site, as they have not provided any answers with regard to that question. The person who died ‘in their hands’ had a four-year-old child who depended on him. He was also a breadwinner and caretaker for his mother who is a survivor of a stroke, but the Chinese contractor doesn’t seem bothered by all these; instead, they tell us that the law doesn’t bind them to do anything at all,” the deceased uncle said. “We are concerned by their stance. If indeed the laws of the country do not say anything about safety in the workplace, then it would be a cause for concern.”
Dinko added that when the family enquired about compensation, they were told that the deceased will only be paid for the two weeks that he had worked before his untimely death since the accident occurred mid-month.
“But a whole month has since lapsed now, and still no sight of the little two weeks’ payment. They have really failed us, as the family of the deceased,” he said.
The deceased’s uncle added the family is also not satisfied with the explanation offered of the circumstances that led to the demise of their son.
“The contractor tells us that the [driver of the truck] that rammed into the heavy machinery was reckless, but we suspect there were no road barriers that could have stopped the truck and damaged that truck before it reached the scene of the accident. Their safety record in this village is disturbing,” Dinko said.
For her part Mooketsa’s mother, Tlhabologo Mooketsa who is a stroke survivor, said her condition has worsened since the passing on of her son, who was her last born, and therefore her darling.
“It devastated me. He was a lovely boy, friendly, and loved by many people for his qualities. Multitudes poured here to pay their respects; he was my nurse, my caretaker, he cooked for me, did my laundry,” the mother narrated.
When contacted for comment, Unik Construction Botswana officials confirmed they had suffered four death incidents in Moshupa.
The company’s project manager responsible for the Moshupa project, Benarji Kadiyala, however, blamed the death by drowning which happened in October last year, on a subcontractor they had awarded the job.
Kadiyala further defended his company’s compensation policy, adding that they compensate well and pay for the deceased’s funeral expenses.
When The Monitor put it to him that a Moshupa family is unhappy that the company only contributed P5,000, which was not even enough to buy a coffin for their deceased employee, Kadiyala sounded disappointed at the figure and promised to enquire internally.
He could not believe the company contributed such a little amount and added he will investigate what could have led to that.
Kadiyala has confirmed that up to now all four victims have not been compensated by Unik Construction.
He, however, said the expectation was that the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund would also compensate the family of the worker who was killed by the truck.
According to Kadiyala, the compensation process is taking longer because of the processing of police reports and insurance investigations.
After the process, he said, the Commissioner of Labour would then instruct the contractor on how much to pay in workman’s compensation.