WeeklySA_AdminNEW TURN: Progress finally in unsolved concert worker’s deathfall at 2018 Beyonce/Mandela festival…
By Ali Mphaki
The National Prosecuting Authority, NPA, in Gauteng has ordered the case of the technician killed while working as a rigger at the Global-Citizens Mandela 100 concert referred to the inquest court.
This after a prosecutor at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court declined to prosecute without citing any reasons for the decision, and without informing the office of the Gauteng director of public prosecutions that the file closed.
Apparently unaware but angered by the decision, Advocate Andrew Chauke, south Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), after perusing the docket communicated on April 28 that it be referred to the inquest court, but almost two months later spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane could not confirm if such effected.
‘We (also) do not have information whether or not the family was informed,” said Mjonondwane.
The matter is a sequel to the death of Siyabonga Ngoze, 36, killed while working to prepare the stage for a multi-million rand concert featuring the US-based singer in South Africa in 2018.
Siya from Butterworth in the Transkei fell to his death working as rigger (technician) employed by top entertainment company GearHouse SA on the eve of the Global-Citizens Mandela 100 concert at the FNB stadium in Soweto in December 2018.
Inspectors from the department of employment and labour had recommended that GearHouse SA had flouting Occupational Health Safety regulations and prosecuted. GearHouse SA also found not to have registered Ngoze’s death with the department’s for compensation.
The news of the inquest may come as some relief to Siya’s sickly mom Thembisa Ngoze. Since the death of her breadwinner son in 2018, the NPA has never communicated to her about the progress or not of the case.
What angers her is how GearHouseSA treats her each time she calls to she is struggling go unanswered.
The company gave her a mere R39 000 when her son died. She was not even aware of the inquest when Weekly SA Mirror contacted her.
“Akhonto ishukumayo kusathe cwaka (There is no movement and it’s all quiet),” she said in isiXhosa.
.”It’s like a dog has died and nobody cares,” she added. For the 54-year-old mom, life turned from bad to worse with Siya’s death.
So much that whenever she hears the name Beyonce, she curses. Whenever I listen to radio and hear the name I think about my son.
“It’s not that I dislike Beyonce, but cannot escape the connection,” she said.
Through the assistance of the Weekly SA Mirror, Ms Ngoze was able to receive a sum of compensation money from the employment and labour department for her son’s death.
Whilst grateful for the money, she wants justice. “Somebody must be held accountable.
“Until such, we struggling to find closure,’ she said. Attempts by Weekly SA Mirror to obtain comment from GearHouse SA proved fruitless.
Several e-mail messages sent to the company’s head honchos went unanswered.
Industry players blame racism for Siya’s death and urge government to regulate the industry they say is a “free for all”.
Freddy Nyathela, president of South African Roadies Association, SARA, was more scathing saying when word got out that a rigger had been killed at the Beyonce/Mandela concert it had to be a black.
‘No white technicians are allowed to do what Siya was doing when he fell to his death and yet they are paid far more than their black counterparts.
“Whichever way you look at it, it is racism,” he said.. Meanwhile, Beyoncé tipped off fans that something important was coming when she removed her profile photos across all her social media platforms last week. Beyoncé has revealed the title and release date for her next studio album, with the 16-track “Renaissance” set to drop July 29.
The superstar began listing the music and products on her website Thursday and several streaming services, including Tidal and Spotify,also announced the Beyoncé release.
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