11 November 2013 — The provincial governments of Free State and Kwazulu-Natal, together with Eskom Ltd, held a memorial service for Filipino workers Federico Caasi Jr, Dennis Casale and Maurice Antonio, as well as two South Africans and a Lesotho national, who fell victim to a fatal worksite accident that happened on October 31 at the Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme.

The memorial service at the Ingula site was attended by the Honorable Malusi Gigaba, Minister for Public Enterprises; Premier Senzo Mchunu of Kwazulu-Natal; Phumelela Mayor Tlokotsi Motaung for the Free State Provincial Government; and Chairman Zola Tsotsi of Eskom, among others.

Likewise present were workers and employees of the Ingula project, including close to 200 Filipinos and workers of other nationalities (e.g., Lesotho, South Africa, China, etc.).

The Philippine Embassy in Pretoria was represented at the memorial service by Consul Chad Jacinto who expressed condolences for the deceased and their families on behalf of the people and government of the Philippines.

The Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme is a hydropower project expected to produce 1,332 megawatts of electricity for the South African national grid. END