Justice system 'fails' Paarl print fire victims

Family members mourn the deaths of 13 Paarl Print employees at a memorial held at the site a year later in 2015. Photo: Sam Clark

Family members mourn the deaths of 13 Paarl Print employees at a memorial held at the site a year later in 2015. Photo: Sam Clark

Published Mar 8, 2017

Share

“All we waited for was justice in the last eight years. But the justice system has failed us.”

These were the words of the families of 13 Paarl Print employees who were killed during a fire at the factory. They believe someone should be held accountable, despite the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) deciding not to prosecute those implicated in a Labour Department report.

The families had been victorious in their case to compel the department to release its report two years ago into the April 17, 2009 fire. Thirteen people had been killed and 10 injured. An initial investigation concluded that heat from cooking oil in a chip fryer caused the fire. Among the workers were Eric Peters and Patricia Stoffels.

Stoffels's husband, Edwin, and Peters’s son, Chris, said the NPA’s decision, made known to them this week, had left the families heartbroken.

“This is one of the big cases in this country. I mean, 13 people lost their lives trying to make a living, but the NPA thinks no one should be held accountable. I think they anticipate this case is going to cost them financially since it implicates big companies.

"There was negligence on the part of this big company. Their Occupational Health and Safety people felt there was a case to answer. We are not happy at all,” said Stoffels.

Peters said: “We have been let down. After the report was released, we made history because previously the department did not release its reports to affected families. As the families, we are not going to leave it there. All we wanted was accountability.”

NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the NPA didn't prosecute as it felt it could not secure a successful prosecution.

The report by department inspector Tibor Szana had found, among other things, that the company failed to provide and maintain a safe working environment. The local municipality was also implicated for not conducting inspections.

The report had stated that criminal proceedings be effected by the NPA against Saint Gabon Construction Products South African for failing to ensure the Kulite (ceiling) was safe.

Szana said he had considered that a contributory cause of the fire was an act or omission of criminal nature.

Related Topics: