Three years ago tomorrow, a number of our Franki employees were involved in a serious road accident in South Africa. Two minibuses taking them to work at the Nkomati Mine were hit by a third-party truck when its driver lost control at the wheel. Tragically 18 colleagues died and 12 were injured.
This obviously had a devastating impact on Franki at that time and, while the healing process is now some way along, it’s important for us to commemorate the incident.
Back in July 2017, as everyone tried to come to terms with the tragic loss of life, colleagues from across the world sent messages of support and condolence. It drew us closer together as an organisation and reminded us that we must all take care of each other’s safety and wellbeing. This will always be the case, every day, and especially during the worst of times.
Another lesson, also relevant today as we face the challenges of COVID-19, is that, usually, there is always some good to come from adversity.
Following the accident, Keller established a Franki Africa Memorial Fund in memory of the victims. This now provides annual educational bursaries for thirty-three children of our deceased colleagues, as well as other learners who have met the criteria. You can see some of them below. This support can mean the difference between people going to school, college and university or not, so has a very positive impact.
Keller also entered into a partnership with road-safety awareness organisation Arrive Alive. The aim is to promote road safety, but also to lobby government to set a legal limit on the number of hours commercial drivers are allowed to drive within a 24-hour period.
So please take a moment to think about our Franki colleagues who were involved in or impacted by the accident three years ago. Take pride in the fact that one of our greatest strengths is that we all pull together through the challenges. And always remember to take care of yourself and your colleagues.
