Man dies in manhole, family demands answers
Staff Writer | Tuesday November 22, 2022 06:00
Sechele, of Maipaahela location, died in a manhole while on duty for Ken Waste and he was buried on November 13, 2022 in Francistown. Following Sechele’s tragic death, his family is still in pain about how he breathed his last while working in a confined space in the manhole.
The deceased’s uncle, Gwere Thembile, told The Monitor on Wednesday that the family continues to struggle with the death of their beloved nephew.
Even though it may be reasonable to say that it is too early for the family to fully know how Sechele, 33, died because investigations into his death are still ongoing and will take some time to be completed, the pain that Sechele’s family is feeling right now is easy to discern. “Losing Sechele in the horrific manner in which he died is one of the most painful experiences the family has gone through.
We can only find closure if the employer of my nephew, Ken Waste gives us details that led to his death,” a worried Thembile told The Monitor on Wednesday over the phone.
Thembile added: “We buried my beloved nephew on Sunday and a representative of Ken Waste was included in the funeral programme as one of the speakers. Our expectations together with the deceased’s friends and the rest of the community were that the representative of Ken Waste will shed light on what allegedly transpired when our child died.
However, a representative of Ken Waste who attended the funeral said that he was overwhelmed by grief and was thus not able to address the mourners. The representative then sent a Short Message System (SMS) to the Master of Ceremonies which did not state how the deceased passed away.” What pained the family the most, Thembile further elaborated, is that following Sechele’s death, Ken Waste management was reluctant to visit the family but only did so after one of Sechele’ relatives called them via telephone. “If we didn’t reach out to Ken Waste, we believe that they wouldn't have come to us.
When the Ken Waste representatives came, they said nothing but offered some cash and helped out with some chores,” Thembile said. Thembile added that after the funeral, they were expecting representatives of Ken Waste to visit the family, but as of last Wednesday nobody from the company had visited the family again. “There are some questions that we want Ken Waste to answer so that we can find closure following this tragic incident,” Thembile stated. In the midst of the controversy surrounding how Sechele died, new details about how he may have died have surfaced.
Sources say that there was an element of gross negligence on the part of the sub-contractor (Ken Waste) which was engaged by the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) to service the drain. Sources have also partly attributed the safety breaches to WUC’s poor monitoring of Ken Waste. Initially, the police had told The Monitor that the deceased was an employee of WUC.
The police did not cite any element of negligence about the incident. They only said that the deceased suffocated to death. Then, Kutlwano Police Station Commander, Neo Serumola stated that preliminary investigations showed that moments before Sechele died, he is said to have complained about a foul smell saying that he was struggling to breathe whilst inside the manhole.
In the week following Sechele’s death, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WUC, Gaselemogwe Senai, issued a press release clarifying that the deceased worked for a company sub-contracted to WUC. Sources further say that safety measures guiding those who do work in a confined space were not followed. “Apart from following safety rules for working in confined spaces, the sub-contractor did not have a well-designed rescue plan. A rescue plan is a must for people working in a confined space,” said one source.
Most notably, the company did not put in place adequate atmospheric ventilation to maintain oxygen levels to guard against the employee suffocating inside the manhole. Sechele’s fellow employees, the source further stated, reportedly tried to perform a rescue mission, but failed because they were not well trained and did not have adequate resources.
Additionally, sources have said the company failed to coordinate entry into the manhole. Reports from various sources indicate that when entering the manhole, the employee did not put on a harness, which could have enabled him to be easily lifted to the ground if he indicated that he was experiencing respiratory problems. According to sources, the fire department officers and paramedics were called to the scene but they failed to perform their rescue mission because they did not have the necessary tools. A local company Tactical Emergency and Rescue, which has vast experience in performing rescue missions in confined spaces, was immediately roped in to come and perform the rescue mission. It is said that when the company was called to the scene, it was already late as Sechele had already died.
However, the company was able to successfully lift the deceased’s body to the ground. The director of Ken Waste, Shawn Kenosi, was not willing to comment about the issue when contacted by The Monitor last Wednesday. “I have told you that if you want to know anything about what allegedly happened, just call WUC. They have all the answers that you need,” Kenosi said briefly when asked by this publication. Kenosi’s response was not materially different from what he told The Monitor last week after he was asked for comment several times. When asked about the findings of the preliminary investigations, if any, last Wednesday, the spokesperson of WUC, Beauty Mokoba said: “The WUC director of strategy and corporate affairs, Peter Sedingwe, says that the matter is still under investigation. When WUC engages any contractor, the expectation is that all safety protocols are observed at all times.”