Migdol (D 9)

Name: Migdol


Migdol , Schweizer Reneke

The handover of Mampho Senior Secondary School brought celebration and joy to the Migdol farming community as North West Public Works MEC for Public Works

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Woman dies in silo fall. News24 of 8 June 2006. 'Schweizer-Reneke - A professional hygienist from Bloemfontein died after falling more than 20m down a grain silo and inhaled the poison fumigating the grain. Paramedics were just too late on Tuesday to save the life of Yolandé van Heerden, 26. She died soon after a paramedic reached her where she lay in the pitch dark on a bed of sunflower seeds in the silo tube. As an employee of VDH Industrial Hygiene in Bloemfontein, Van Heerden was monitoring the gases and dust in the Hallats Hope silo between Schweizer-Reneke and Migdol, when she fell. No one was near Van Heerden when she fell through the opening where a conveyor belt dumped seeds into the silo. She was on a closed catwalk above the silo when the accident happened. Southwest Agriculture managing director Schalk Pienaar said a worker heard Van Heerden scream and pushed the closest emergency stop button to halt the conveyor belts. There were already about 550t on sunflower seeds in the tube when she fell. Through the opening, Van Heerden could talk to a doctor and Netcare 911 paramedic Danie Erasmus, but she could not be reached. The rescue service of the college in Klerksdorp where North West's ambulance staff are trained, was summoned. They could reach Van Heerden with special equipment. Erasmus said through Netcare 911 spokesperson Paul Nel that Van Heerden was in severe pain and discomfort. She was also terrified. It was pitch dark where she lay. The paramedic who was lowered to Van Heerden was with her when she died. She was immediately hoisted up where attempts were made to bring her round. The opening Van Heerden fell through is apparently scarcely 50cm by 50cm big. She was a petite woman who weighed only 42kg, her father Japie said. She was his and his wife Valerie's elder daughter. The couple's only surviving daughter Ilze, 24, said her sister's work was demanding, but she did it with passion and perseverance. ''I always thought she was too good for this world, in any case. She was an incredible person who always put others before herself.'' Pienaar said the insect fumigation pesticide phostoxin was dumped with the grain into the silo to protect the grain against insects. A post-mortem will be done on Friday to determine the cause of Van Heerden's death. The department of labour and the police will also do separate investigations into the death in an attempt to establish whether anyone can be held responsible for Van Heerden's death. ''It's an absolute tragedy. She was in the flower of her youth. It's the first accident of this kind at Southwest Agriculture,'' Pienaar said'.



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