Cape Town - The transportation of farmworkers needs serious attention to avoid further deaths.
So said Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation executive director Billy Claasen, on Tuesday, after a truck transporting more than 70 workers overturned, killing three.
Two women and a man died on the scene in Philadelphia while the rest were transported to various hospitals.
The accident happened on Occultdale Road as the truck was headed to Adderley Road. The truck reportedly rolled twice before it came to a halt.
The male victim lay on the road a few metres from the vehicle and the others were at the rear side of it.
“We have highlighted this inhumane transportation of farm workers, and we want the national and provincial governments to come together and do something about this issue.
“The transportation of farmworkers has become a hot debate in rural areas and the agricultural sector. Hardly a month goes by without a fatal accident whereby farmworkers are involved. In some cases, farmworkers die or get seriously injured,” Claasen said.
“Something drastically needs to be done to change the rate at which farmworkers die in tragic cases on or off farms. This sometimes passes by unnoticed because not much attention is given to the issues of farmworkers, specifically in the wine industry where some producers want to exploit workers for cheap labour.
“We have pleaded for years with the Western Cape Government to address the transport issues of farmworkers, but it seems that farmworkers are not on their agenda. They play the blame game and shift their responsibility to the national government.”
Claasen said farmworkers and their families on rural farms should show the middle finger to these leaders when they start campaigning for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
“These parties use our people as voting fodder just to get into power and then forget about us. These are all inhumane ways in which farmworkers have been transported and the traffic officials are aware of it and did nothing.”
The owner of the truck, who refused to be named, confirmed the truck was transporting people from Wellington to a Durbanville farm yesterday morning.
He said: “This is my truck, it belongs to a company where I work in Wellington. I wasn’t with them when the accident happened, I came afterwards, and the people were taken to different hospitals.
“We are trying to locate all the people.”
Police have opened a case of culpable homicide. Spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said preliminary investigations suggested that the driver of a truck lost control at about 7am on Tuesday.
“The truck which carried 70 passengers including the driver, overturned during which three people succumbed to injury and a total of 58 passengers were transported to various hospitals in the region to receive medical treatment.
“Two of the injured were in a serious condition. The remainder, 9 passengers, were treated on site. The investigation is ongoing.”
Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness communication Officer Megan Davids asked that the public respect the victims’ privacy during this time.
“The treatment and wellbeing of all those individuals involved in the incident are our primary concern. We remain committed to supporting those involved. Our thoughts are with those affected by this unfortunate incident.”
Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie said they were going to make sure the families would get counselling.
“We have been consistent in the message that individuals shouldn’t be transported in the back of bakkies and there must be an appropriate form of transport, whether you’re a farm worker or in a taxi or train it must be safe, to ensure that your employees get to work safely.
“We’ve had several operations throughout this period and several interventions when it comes to safety of worker transport and scholar transport.”
Cosatu’s provincial secretary general, Malvern de Bruyn, said the owner of the truck and farmers should take responsibility for the accident.
“They should get either buses or speak to taxi associations about transporting their employees.”