Bee attack: eThekwini worker dies after being doused with petrol and accidentally set alight

AN ETHEKWINI Municipality supervisor died after colleagues poured petrol on him during a bee attack and accidentally set him alight, causing burns to 80% of his body.

The family is demanding accountability from the municipality as allegations emerge about inadequate safety protocols and training.

Lenny Naicker, 59, a supervisor for the municipality’s parks and gardens department for 36 years, was lending support to a brush cutter team in Arena Park, Chatsworth, clearing bushes near an ashram, when he was stung by a swarm of bees. 

His family said that his death could have been avoided if the employees were trained on how to handle such situations.

Naicker’s sister, Tasmia Ismail, said a public outcry about the unsafe bushes in Arena Park had led to Naicker being be called out to cut the grass.

He was based at the Gandhi Centenary Park in Croftdene.

“They needed most of the workforce to cut the grass in the area because there was a public outcry about safety and health concerns. Lenny ordinarily did not operate a brush cutter but he was hands on and wanted to complete the job quickly.

“He disturbed a bees nest and he was attacked. One of the employees, who was also stung by bees, poured petrol on Lenny to try and get rid of the bees. He then ran out of the area to try and get away from the bees.

“A third employee who was also stung lit a fire to get rid of the bees. Lenny caught alight. Another employee then poured water on Lenny to try to put off the fire, but this exacerbated the flames and his injuries,” Ismail added.

She said the family faced “one trauma after another” since the incident.

“Lenny’s supervisors contacted us when he was being transported to a local private hospital at around 10am. He was taken to the trauma unit where they stabilised him. However, he was critical and needed to be transferred to a hospital with a burn specialist team.

“Instead, he remained in the trauma unit for about 24 hours, bandaged and on a ventilator. He was not cleaned. He had no medical aid and the hospital staff said they called every private hospital with a burn specialist in KZN, but none of them wanted to accept Lenny because he was a government Injured On Duty (IOD) case," Ismail said.

“The staff told us they were reluctant to accept such patients because the city did not meet the payment commitments. The only hospital which accepted him was at Shelley Beach, but it did not have a burn specialist.

“He was transported by ambulance instead of being airlifted. When he arrived at the this hospital, the doctors said the long drive had made his condition worse. He was unresponsive," she said.

“He had critical burns throughout his body and internal injuries. We were allowed to see him but access was restricted and we had to wear personal protective equipment. 

“The doctors told us that his kidneys were failing and he needed dialysis. He then picked up an infection. He needed a burns specialist due to his internal injuries. The doctor at the Shelley Beach hospital was in tears when he too was declined by every hospital he called in the province.

“He eventually secured a bed for Lenny at a hospital in Cato Ridge. The doctor made arrangements for him to be airlifted there last Wednesday.

“The burn specialist told us on that Lenny’s organs were not functioning and they were concerned about septicemia and other infections. He was on dialysis and picked up an infection. On Saturday night, we received a call from the hospital telling us he had passed on.”

She said no proper first aid, medical or safety protocols were followed during the incident, prompting their concern for the safety of other workers who cut grass and were prone to bee attacks, or other safety risks.

“The employees at the scene said two days before the incident, their supervisors had pulled out two teams from the area because of the  bees,” she said.

“The staff had no fire extinguishers or first aid kits to deal with the situation or any risk they faced in the field or the road.

“We never with this upon anyone. If he was stung by the bees and died from that, we would have accepted it. But due to the trauma he faced because employees are not adequately trained on how to respond to safety risks, we are demanding accountability from the city.

“We are devastated. We cannot accept the circumstances surrounding his death. The municipality needs to take responsibility. There needs to be remedial action in place to make sure this does not happen to anybody else. 

“His supervisors told us that their health and safety officer was investigating the matter,” she added.

eThekwini Municipality’s Spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said: “The municipality wishes to clarify that all matters concerning the death of a person fall under the jurisdiction of the South African Police Service (SAPS). Consequently, the municipality does not have the authority to investigate or provide commentary on such matters.”

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