KBL distances itself from tin compactor fatal accident

Kgalagadi Breweries Limited has distanced itself from a fatal accident in which a 24 year old man from Matshelagabedi died January 11 at KBL operational site in Francistown after he was crushed by a suspected dysfunctional tin compactor machine. The accident which left many KBL employees shocked has been a subject of discussion with those close to the development attributing the death of the young man to a technical fault of the machine.

A tin collector who frequents the machine disclosed that the tin compactor cannot close on its own since a person has to physical do it which is not the case under at present since the young man met his fate. He was alone at the time, something which has raised doubts among his colleagues who suspect foul play. KBL Communications and Better World Manager Masegonyana Madisa admitted that a fatal accident involving the young man occurred at their operational sites in Francistown on January 11th 2018.

He said the deceased was a third party employee, who at the time of the incident is reported to have been operating a scrap/used cans baling machine owned by Collect-A-Can. “Please note that the deceased neither worked for nor was he under KBL management supervision and/or control. As a result, we are therefore not in a position to comment or be expected to comment on the functionality or otherwise of the machine. “As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, KBL has allocated Collect-A-Can space on its premises in Francistown where they have been operating a process of pressing and baling of scrap cans collected from the town and surrounding areas,” said Madisa.

We could not reach Collect-A-Can at the time of writing. The young man will be buried in Matshelagabedi village over the weekend. It is suspected that the deceased was loading empty tins inside the machine when it collapsed on his head crushing it like it does tins. When his brother arrived at the scene, he discovered the victim’s head crushed under the heavy weight of the machine. The accident was then reported to the police. Francistown station commander Superintendent Lebalang Maniki confirmed the accident. He said that police investigations were ongoing to determine what might have caused the accident. He cautioned that the investigations might take some time due to the fact that the accident happened when the deceased was alone at the machine.