Durban - THE Transnet National Ports Authority (NPA) is accused of denying a husband a report into his wife’s death at sea during a work-related exercise in 2017.
The Durban man, Khulekani Mzimela, 42, is a chief engineer at the parastatal while his wife Thandeka had also worked at Transnet as a trainee marine pilot at the time of her death.
“All I need is justice for my wife, and I want closure. No one is telling me anything about the investigation into my wife’s death and all the information I have is hearsay. I’ve approached the employer for the investigation report or details of what happened on that fateful day but I have not been getting straight answers,” an emotional Mzimela told the Daily News.
“It’s difficult to push them (the employer) hard because I work there and I have two children to look after. Maybe I’m missing something here because I feel that we are in a professional environment, so the employer would have the courtesy to fill me in about the outcome of the investigation, but I guess I’m wrong.”
Mzimela’s wife Thandeka drowned at sea in November 2017 during an exercise. She reportedly fell from a ship’s ladder during a boarding operation as she left the pilot boat to board a ship. At the time, Transnet had said they were investigating the incident but it was not clear what happened to the investigation.
An NPA employee, who asked not to be named, said had there been men on the deck during the accident Thandeka could have been rescued.
“Colleagues who were with Thandeka said she was afraid of heights but was determined to carry out the exercise. There were about seven people on board, and only two other women were with Thandeka at the time. The rest were in the engine area and when one man came up after the sign of distress, Thandeka had already lost grip of the ladder she was using to get on to the boat,” the employee said.
The employee said only Transnet had the details of what happened.
However, Moshe Motlohi, general manager at the Transnet NPA port of Durban said the internal investigation was an in-house process that was private and confidential.
“Information collated during the investigation relating to employees’ information is not public and is instead handled and managed in line with the internal policies and processes. Safety is a priority in all Transnet business operations. Transnet NPA subscribes to and complies with safety regulations and rules when operating any of the machinery in its workplaces,” Motlohi said.
Further questions, particularly whether Mzimela would be informed of the outcome, had not been answered.