Cape Town - A construction worker at the R1.65-billion Msikaba Bridge construction site in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape has died.
The worker, whose name has not been revealed, reportedly died on Friday.
According to the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), the worker was working for one of the subcontractors at the Msikaba Bridge construction site.
The incident happened a few days after Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga and Deputy Minister Lisa Mangcu conducted site visits to inspect the progress on the Msikaba and Mtentu mega-bridges.
The Msikaba Bridge contract forms part of Sanral’s flagship N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR) road infrastructure development project that starts in East London and ends along the border of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal at the Mtamvuna River in Port Edward.
Sanral’s general manager for marketing and communications, Vusi Mona, said they were undertaking an internal investigation to determine the cause of the accident, and the authorities were also investigating what happened.
“We are working closely with the contractors to uncover what led to this tragic incident.
“The safety of our workers on site is of paramount importance to Sanral and we want to ensure that work is implemented in a safe environment, free of injuries,” said Mona.
Mona added that Sanral and the contractor, the Concor MECSA Construction Joint Venture, sent heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
“We wish them strength during this difficult time. We are not in a position to name the deceased at this time,” said Mona.
Mona also said that before this tragic incident, the Msikaba Bridge construction site had held an exemplary record of more than 3.5 million loss time injury-free hours.
IOL