Truck driver declared brain-dead

Published Oct 8, 2012

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Cape Town -

The 42-year-old truck driver who was critically injured when his vehicle was stoned by striking transport workers last week is brain-dead and his family are discussing the donation of his organs.

Gary Stewart was hit in the head by a brick when the Global Force Transport truck in which he was a passenger was stoned by strikers close to Cape Town International Airport on Wednesday.

The company for which Stewart worked was co-owned by his sister, Michelle Fisher.

On Monday morning doctors at Vincent Pallotti informed Stewart’s family that he was brain-dead.

Stewart had undergone surgery for a metal plate to be inserted to repair his fractured skull.

Speaking to the Cape Argus on Monday morning, Fisher said that they were in a meeting to discuss the process of organ donation.

Meanwhile Transnet is bracing for a one-day strike by port and rail workers in support of a walkout by 20 000 truckers that has hit fuel supplies in some parts of the country, and retail chains.

Transnet said on Sunday it had been served with a notice of a walkout “in a week’s time” by the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) behind the two-week trucker stoppage, but did not say when it might occur.

“We are considering the notice and will activate our contingency measures to ensure minimal disruptions should the action materialise,” Transnet said in a statement.

Satawu spokesman Vincent Masoga said wage talks between freight bosses and unions were set to restart on Tuesday after breaking down acrimoniously at the end of last week, but the union was still gearing up for action. “We’ve issued notices. It is going ahead. We are mobilising,” Masoga said.

Cape Argus and Reuters

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