Cape Town - The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the Department of Employment and Labour will separately conduct investigations into the deaths of two workers at County Fair poultry farm in Paarl.
The men, aged 33 and 34, died on Sunday while on duty after they experienced difficulty breathing. Five of their colleagues survived after they were rushed to hospital.
Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk said a case was opened at Kraaifontein police station.
“Kraaifontein police are investigating an inquest case after an incident at a farm near Fisantekraal, Kraaifontein, on January 8 at 12.54pm, where two males, aged 33 and 34, died and five others were taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death,” he said.
Cosatu Western Cape chairperson Motlatsi Tsubane said: “What happened at that farm is tragic. As the union we plan to visit the farm so we can physically assess the working environment because it is clear there are no safety and security measures in place,” he said.
Acting spokesperson for the Department of Labour, Mokgadi Pela, said: “As the department we have sent a team of inspectors to conduct a preliminary report, giving them no time frame to do so. After they are satisfied with their findings they will report back to us and then the department will take action guided by the findings of the investigation.”
Earlier this week, the Daily Voice reported that the managing director at Poultry Commercial, Frans van Heerden, said the men were working at the plant which is separate from the main facility.
“It does not have any septic pits. The affected employees developed breathing difficulties of which the cause is under investigation,” he said.
He said the two employees died after taking ill, and six were sent to hospital for observation.
Five of the employees who were kept overnight on Sunday have been discharged.
Van Heerden said Astral had committed itself to determining the cause of the incident.
The company also said a thorough cleaning of the area had been undertaken and any preventative action determined from the investigation would be immediately implemented.