BOIPATONG – In a somber start to the new year, two scrap metal scavengers lost their lives in separate incidents involving moving trucks.
The latest incident occurred on Thursday, January 01, when a 27-year-old man met a fatal accident at the entrance of Cape Gate.
Eyewitnesses recounted that mirroring previous incidents, the man had climbed onto a partially moving truck that was unloading debris from steel remains when he tragically slipped.
The incident unfolded around five in the afternoon, prompting an immediate call to the police.
Law enforcement swiftly responded, with dozens of residents and fellow scavengers observing from a distance as investigators examined the scene.
A worker at the steel giant shared distressing details, revealing: “There were several scavengers on top of the moving truck when the incident transpired. The truck, entering the steel firm, was ambushed by them to collect remnants from inside the tipper. One moment, I saw heads inside the trailers; the next, I witnessed the man falling under the wheels with the truck moving over him.”
Another employee at the steel factory provided a harrowing account of the incident, stating: “I witnessed as the wheels trampled on the young man. Post-incident, he lay helpless on the ground with visible signs of multiple broken bones. Both his legs were crushed, and his left hand severely injured.”
Engaging with bystanders, it was alleged that the deceased was the second person in his family to have met a similar fate.
Boipatong police spokeswoman Sergeant Thembeka Maxambela said police are investigating a case of Culpable Homicide
