LISTEN | Cartrack employee dies at work after complaining of fatigue

Cartrack received backlash on social media after an employee collapsed and died at work, having allegedly complained of extreme fatigue.

The company said the woman was never denied sick leave and there was no indication she was unwell when she reported for duty.

Gcina Dhladhla died at work after allegedly reporting several times to her employer that she was not well but was asked to report for duty regardless.

The 29-year-old woman collapsed and died in a bathroom cubicle after she had allegedly been advised to take headache powders for pain. She was discovered by a colleague after her team leader noticed she had been in the bathroom for an unusually long time.

According to Lauren Human, director of corporate affairs at Cartrack, Dhladhla received immediate assistance from highly trained on-site first responders.

“Our on-site first responders were equipped with an automatic external defibrillator and emergency medical services were immediately called to the scene,” she said.

Dhladhla had worked for Cartrack as a call centre agent for nearly two years.

Her aunt, Nomusa Dhladhla, said she had submitted two sick notes during the two weeks leading up to her death, citing ill health and extreme fatigue. However, the family claimed she was instructed to continue reporting for duty despite her condition.

“Gcina was exhausted and emotionally drained. There was no motivation. She was working long hours, including weekends, without adequate rest. She would go to work even when she had a headache,” said Nomusa.

“On Monday, she told me she would be given a warning when she returned to work despite reporting sick and providing a doctor’s note. They did, in fact, issue her with a warning.”

Nomusa told Sunday Times’ sister publication Sowetan that her niece had been complaining about work conditions since she started working at the company.

She alleged that instead of immediately arranging medical assistance for her niece, a manager raised concerns about who would cover the costs of treatment at a Rosebank private clinic.

“I had to call an ambulance from a private hospital because the manager went to the clinic to inquire about the costs instead of focusing on saving my niece’s life,” she said.

Last year Cartrack came under scrutiny after TimesLIVE reported current and former employees said they were banned from using elevators and were forced to take the stairs.

Sowetan