Tractor shreds farmboy

2003-02-25 20:29

Riot Hlatshwayo

Ermelo - A 15-year-old farm worker was shredded by a tractor-drawn grass cutter two weeks ago but has not been buried yet because his family is too poor.

Nkosinathi Lucas Lephoto was caught in the sharp blades when the driver tractor drove past him on Klipkrans farm in Ermelo on February 14, said spokesperson for the Ermelo police station Captain Carla Prinsloo on Tuesday.

"The first time the tractor driver realised something was wrong was when the machine made a strange noise as if something was trapped in it," she said.

The boy's body was so badly shredded, that various body parts had to be collected and taken to the local mortuary.

Lephoto was a casual worker on the farm and had arrived from Daggakraal near Wakkerstroom to join his aunt who works there.

On Tuesday, the boy's family approached the department of land affairs' regional office in Ermelo and asked for a donation so they could bury him.

Head of the office, Star Motswege, said the family was very poor and that he had told them to return on Wednesday for further negotiations.

A land rights NGO in Mpumalanga, The Rural Action Committee (Trac) said it was unfortunate that farmers and employees waited until tragedy struck before discussing funeral arrangements in the event of a fatal accident.

Director Chris Williams said the organisation would conduct its own investigation and try find a solution for the family. Farmer Petrus Taljaard was unable to comment as his line went dead. His cellphone was set on voicemail. - African Eye News Service

- News24