Inspectors from the department of labour were on Wednesday establishing the working conditions of sacked farmworker Nelson Shisane - who died after allegedly being beaten and thrown into a lion enclosure near Hoedspruit, department spokesperson Snuki Zikalala said.
Shisane was reportedly embroiled in a labour dispute at the Engedi Game Farm and was fired last year.
He was allegedly beaten at the game farm, then loaded onto a vehicle and thrown into the lion camp at the Mokwalo White Lion Project 15km away.
He was reported missing by his family on February 8 and the police were finally led to the lion project where a skull, legs and shreds of clothing were found.
The owner of the game farm, Mark Scott Crossley, and three of his employees - Simon Mathebula, Richard Mathebula, and Robert Mnisi - face a charge of murder, and possibly defeating the ends of justice.
In response, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana ordered an investigation by his own inspectors into the circumstances surrounding Shisane's death.
Zikalala told Sapa that their first task was to get Shisane's payslip and establish whether he had been registered with the department so that his wife could receive the death benefits she was entitled to in terms of labour law.
However, if Shisane had not been given a payslip or registered, charges would be laid against his employer for not complying with labour laws.
"Even if we only have his ID number we can check whether he has been registered so that the family can be helped," Zikalala said.
"Even if he was seasonal worker he should have been registered," he said.
"We also need to find out why the normal labour relations channels were not followed," he said, adding that the investigation was made difficult by the fact that Crossley, the Mathebulas and Mnisi were behind bars having been denied bail.
They will return to the Phalaborwa magistrate's court on February 19. - Sapa