A 27-year-old man is set to appear in the Wellington Magistrates Court on Friday, in connection with a transport-related accident that claimed two lives and injured several others.

The incident occurred on the R44 road between Hermon and Wellington on Wednesday. The driver allegedly lost control of the light delivery vehicle, causing it to overturn. Western Cape police spokesperson, Frederick Van Wyk, says the vehicle was transporting 22 workers to a farm in the Riebeek Kasteel area when it veered off course near De Rust Farm.

“The workers fell off the vehicle. Two persons died on the scene and the injured people were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. A culpable homicide case was opened for investigation.”

Van Wyk has appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the incident to make contact with police.

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COSATU in the Western Cape says this incident comes after its continued appeal to ban the transportation of workers on the backs of bakkies and trucks. Provincial Secretary, Malvern De Bruyn, claims that government officials have neglected these issues, despite numerous calls.

“COSATU has on numerous occasions called on the ministers of Employment and Labour, Transport and the MEC of Mobility in the Western Cape to enforce the ban on the transportation of workers, including farmworkers on the backs of bakkies and trucks. Unfortunately, our calls has fallen on deaf ears. How many more farmworkers must die before the government and the authorities address this problem?”

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De Bruyn called for a thorough investigation into the incident, even calling for the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to launch their own probe. He says the SAHRC must get involved because the “the rights of the workers have been infringed upon”.