Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga has expressed her devastation at the death of a worker in an accident at the Msikaba Bridge in Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape on Friday.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we learned of the passing of the worker at the Msikaba project. He was one of the unsung heroes who are constantly present in ensuring that the Msikaba Bridge project comes to fruition. His service to the Eastern Cape people will forever remain an important part of the history of Msikaba Bridge,” Chikunga said on Monday.

The fatal accident happened at the back of the oversight visit by the Minister at Msikaba Bridge on 28 April 2023.

The bridge is part of the greater N2 Wild Coast South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) SOC Ltd expansion between Port St Johns and Port Edward, which is currently under construction.

SANRAL assured the Minister that the cause of the accident is being investigated both internally by the Joint Venture Partners of the project and by the police.

SANRAL also informed the Minister that the site had held an exemplary record of over 3.5 million lost time injury-free hours until this incident.

“It is with a deep sorrow and sadness we pay tribute to one of our own. Will the family and the community of Lusikisiki please accept our most heartfelt condolences. When a member of such a huge project dies the entire project team goes into mourning with the family. May they be comforted by the fact that they are not alone in this loss,” Chikunga said.

Source: South African Government News Agency