TSUMEB – The mother of six-year-old Amor Namaseb intends to sue Basil Read, a contractor to Tchudi Mine near Tsumeb, over an incident in which a driver of the mining contractor ran over her son with a truck during working hours in October last year causing brain damage to the victim.
As a result of the accident and the brain injuries, the boy now has impaired vision and his left ear has been damaged. He is now recovering at the family home in Tsumeb’s Soweto settlement.
She says doctors assured her Namaseb’s life is no longer in danger but they could not determine what long-term implications his injuries may have and what the possible financial costs will be in terms of prolonged treatment.
A visibly upset Petricia Namases says she contacted the company to enquire whether they would assist her to foot the recurrent medical bills for her son or whether any compensation would be forthcoming, but they reportedly said they would not carry such responsibility.
“I don’t even know whether my son will grow up to be a normal adult because of the damage they have done. They just referred me to the MVA Fund and don’t want to take responsibility so it’s better to take the legal route,” threatened Namases.
To date Namases and her son have been getting medical check-ups that are paid for by the MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident) Fund. She also says the money that her son will receive as a grant from the fund will only be given to him when he is 21 years old, but her fear is whether he will grow up normally.
When contacted for comment Arwin Kotze, the company’s human resource manager, referred all questions to the chief operations officer, Theo Silver. However, the detailed questions that New Era sent were unanswered by the time of going to print.