Tragedy at Verulam Labour Department: 60-year-old dies while seeking pension

A 60-YEAR-OLD Phoenix man died while waiting to apply for his pension at the Department of Labour in Verulam, with his family alleging that staff at a nearby government clinic refused to assist despite being just SO metres away.

- MONISHKA GOVENDER

Manikum Pillay, of Phoenix, collapsed and and died while waiting in line with his wife, Rachel Pillay, to submit his Sassa pension application. He sustained a serious head injury when he fell.

According to Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), paramedics arrived shortly after 9am and declared him dead at the scene.

“My husband and I went to the Sassa offices in Verulam. Manikum turned 60 last month and wanted to apply for his pension,” said 58-year-old Rachel.

“We were waiting in the queue from early in the morning, and the line was long. My husband was feeling hot, so he said he was going to step out of the line and sit down for a while.

“While he was seated he fell and hit his head on the floor. I’m not sure what happened,” she said.

Rachel described a desperate scene as bystanders ran across the road to the clinic for help, only to be met with what she claimed was inaction.

“They just sent a wheelchair which was of no help because he was passed out. When the clinic staff were asked for a stretcher, they said no. They did not bother to even check on my husband's condition,” she claimed.

The grieving widow said her husband’s body remained on the ground for over three hours after his death.

“Tt was very traumatising for me because I did not think he would die. I thought when they stopped the bleeding he would be fine. We waited for help for 20 minutes and I only realised awhile later that he had died,” she said.

“His body was on the ground from 8.30am until 11.45am,” said Rachel.

Their daughter, Jasmine Pillay, 24, described the family’s anguish.