Pietermaritzburg - Paramedics treated about 200 people on the first day of the KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate's (RTI) fitness test for job applicants, a commission of inquiry in Pietermaritzburg heard on Thursday.
Thulani Khuzwayo, for the provincial health department, said this excluded participants taken to hospitals.
Participants who took part in the fitness test started collapsing around 10am on December 27, it emerged during his questioning of Prof Michael Savage, an agrometeorologist from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
The commission is probing the deaths of eight people who took part in a four kilometre run at the Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg. This formed part of a fitness test for RTI job applicants.
More than 34,000 people qualified to apply for 90 advertised RTI trainee posts. Of these, 15,600 attended a fitness test on December 27 and a similar number on December 28.
On Thursday, Savage said weather conditions on December 27 were adverse. People were advised to be cautious between 9.42am and 6.30pm. Extreme weather conditions were indicated from 1.10pm to 5pm.
He said that when people started collapsing at the stadium the organisers should have taken precautions.
“On that day, whether one was a participant or non-participant, the weather became more and more uncomfortable. It became unbearable. At some point someone should have realised a disaster was going to happen.”
He said the previous day had been hot. Given that information the organisers should have expected a hot December 27.
Ravenda Padayachee, for the KwaZulu-Natal transport department, told Savage the advertisement for the job had stated that applicants would be subjected to strenuous exercise.
Savage said the advertisement did not mention when this strenuous exercise would take place.
Padayachee said the 90 posts for trainee RTI officers had to be filled in about two months.
He said the advert for the positions ran from November 20 until December 4, and successful applicants had to be ready for admission to the training college on January 14.
Padayachee said the department had frozen posts in November 2009 and it was decided in November 2012 to fill critical positions.
“Trainee officers were categorised as critical posts,” he said.
The commission continues on Monday, when a representative of the paramedics is expected to testify.
Sapa