AN ex-farm worker is demanding $6 000 as
compensation for health damages from his former employer whom he alleges
organised that dog medicine be administered on him and other workers, a
situation that has resulted in his teeth rotting and falling off while his arm
is now paralysed and body itchy all the time.
Mr Hloniphani Sibanda has filed papers at the
Bulawayo Civil Court demanding $6 000 from his former employer, Ian Mackenzie
of Willsgrove Farm in Esigodini for deliberately treating him and fellow workers
with blue spray medicine which is allegedly intended for dogs and stallions.
Mr Sibanda revealed to Sunday News that in
February 2014 after they were involved in an accident on their way from work at
Willsgrove Farm, Mackenzie took them for medication to his private “dog” doctor
in Waterford where they were given blue spray medicine to wash their injuries
and drink some and they were advised not to disclose the issue if they wanted
to keep their jobs.
“We were involved in a car accident on our way
from work and our boss Mr Mackenzie took us to his private dog doctor in
Waterford.
“Only three of us out of eight had severe
injuries, so we were given this dog medicine called blue spray and we were told
to spray our wounds and drink some. He advised us not to report the matter
because if we did we will lose our jobs,” he said.
According to Mr Sibanda the medicine healed
their deep wounds within three days but affected his health. This prompted him
to break the oath of silence and report the matter to the National Social
Security Authority (Nssa) in 2015.
“The medicine thoroughly healed our wounds
within three days but it affected my health. My left hand is paralysed and my
whole body sometimes itches and I will scratch like a mad man and every time I
eat I will throw up. My teeth started to rot and so I reported the matter to
Nssa in 2015, that is when I was fired,” he said.
Mr Sibanda told Sunday News that the accident
was not reported to the police and that no one gave a police statement on what
transpired as they were all threatened with job losses.
He said he reported the issue to National
Employee Council (NEC) and Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) , but it
has not helped much.
“The accident was not reported to the police,
no one gave the police a statement as far as I know. I reported the matter to
NEC and ZFTU and I have taken the case to court but Mr Mackenzie has been
dodging court since October 2017. What I want is the compensation since my arm
has become paralysed and I can no longer work for my family because he decided
to be inhuman and took us to a dog doctor where we were treated with dog
medicine,” he said.
He said his former boss feared that if they
were treated at a hospital the doctors were going to demand accident reports
before they could be treated. Sunday News
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