A week after the Mail & Guardian reported the four-year mystery of a nuclear worker’s death, his family received a surprise R6 000 cheque from the Department of Labour.
The covering letter stipulated that the money was for burial expenses — although Victor Motha was buried four years ago and his family has received a departmental refund for funeral costs.
The cheque was approved on the same day the M&G sent the labour department questions about Motha’s death. Department spokesperson Page Boikanyo said he needed a written question about why the cheque was sent and a week to answer it.
Clive Motha, Victor’s father, said: ”I don’t know if [the cheque] was an attempt … to keep the family happy so we don’t talk to outsiders.”
Victor Motha, a 21-year-old chemical engineer, died after an accident at the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa’s Pelindaba plant.
His family is still seeking clarity. They were unaware that the investigation into his death had been completed.
The department has said the investigation report is available to the family if they wants to see it. Clive Motha said he had requested the report through his lawyer, but without result.
Two weeks ago the Nuclear Energy Corporation announced a full investigation into workers’ health.