Construction worker dies at Msikaba Bridge site

Concor-MECSA Construction Joint Venture, the project’s general contractor, and the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) are devastated by the death of a construction worker who died on Friday, May 5, 2023, at the Msikaba Bridge construction site in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape.

SANRAL and the contractors, CME JV, expressed their condolences to the family of the worker who died in a terrible accident at the Msikaba Bridge construction site. He was an employee of one of the site’s subcontractors.

Laurence Savage, the project director for CME JV, extended his condolences to the worker’s family.

“We extend our sincere condolences to the family and the community of Lusikisiki for this tragic accident. We want the family to know that we will take every action possible to comfort them through this challenging time.”

The news has saddened SANRAL, according to Vusi Mona, general manager of marketing and communications.

“SANRAL and our contractor, the Concor-MECSA Construction Joint Venture, send our 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.

An internal investigation is being conducted by SANRAL and the CME JV to ascertain what caused the disaster. The police are also looking into what occurred.

The Msikaba Bridge contract is a component of SANRAL’s main N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR) road infrastructure development project, which begins in East London and finishes at the Mtamvuna River in Port Edward, along the border between the provinces of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

“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.

Before this unfortunate tragedy, the Msikaba Bridge construction site had an admirable track record of more than 3,5 million hours without a loss of time or an injury.