Pretoria - A 25-year-old man, employed by facilities management company, Servest, was killed while operating heavy machinery while on duty at the University of Pretoria, the company said on Friday.
Mokhithi Moeti, a machine operator, was part of the maintenance team at the university’s LC De Villiers campus.
Group head of marketing at Servest, Farhaana Mohidien, said it was unclear what caused the accident on Monday.
"The investigative team has thus far been unable to conclusively identify the root cause of this fatal accident, however, the [South African Police Services] SAPS and the department of labour are still finalising their investigation," Mohidien said.
Mohidien said Moeti died on the scene and it was still not clear on the extent of injuries he suffered.
She said this is the first time an employee died on duty.
"As a precautionary measure after being notified of the incident, Servest immediately stopped operation of similar models of machinery pending the finalisation of the investigation," Mohidien said.
"As a further precautionary measure they will do an audit of all safety procedures and will ensure that all colleagues undergo a refresher in safety procedures and relevant operation procedures for all high risk machinery on site."