Near tragedy as 10.000 rush for 300 jobs

[Robbien]

By Sithembile Shabangu and Carvin Goldstone

Just 300 jobs were advertised for Durban's uShaka Marine World. But 10,000 people turned up on Thursday and the result was near tragedy as a stampede ensued and people were pushed and trampled. The country's unemployment crisis played itself out at the Exhibition Centre.

Nokuthula Ntuli, 35, of Umlazi, was among those who queued from as early as 3am in the hope of getting one of the jobs ranging from cooks to cleaners. The centre will open in April. Although the adverts called for a minimum matric qualification, a large number of the job seekers were technikon and university graduates.

One of them, Fikile Maphalala, 21, said the gates were opened about 7am and the first 20 people were allowed in. However, trouble started when crowds started pushing from the back and people began to forcefully push their way through the slightly opened gates. That's when the stampede started. Maphalala and the others at the front of the queue fell to the floor and the rest of the people trampled over them. She injured her hip and sustained minor injuries to her legs.

Silo Magama, of Umtata, said the organisers ran away when people started pushing their way through the gates

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comment: This article is scary. I wonder how soon the location of such articles will change from South Africa to the good ole US of A