Ninth death after RTI fitness test

Related Stories

Johannesburg - A participant in a Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) job recruitment fitness test drowned two days later, a commission of inquiry in Pietermaritzburg heard on Tuesday.

'The person was indeed part of the fitness test in question, but he drowned on December 30, 2012, while he went swimming with his friends at the Alexandra Park swimming pool,' commission spokesman Regi Khumalo said.

His death in Pietermaritzburg was raised during Tuesday's proceedings of the commission.

Khumalo said the man left the fitness test healthy and appeared to be unaffected by the events of December 28. The man was the ninth participant who died after taking part in the RTI's recruitment drive.

More than 34 000 people qualified to apply for the 90 advertised trainee posts. A total of 15 600 applicants attended a fitness test at the city's Harry Gwala stadium on December 27, and a similar number on December 28.

The commission was tasked with determining the cause of the deaths and injuries, the appropriateness of the recruitment process, whether contingency plans were in place, and whether statutory requirements were followed.

It would also investigate whether there was possible negligence, and if refreshments, medical help, and ablution facilities were provided.

Sapa