'Who wants to die?' was 'not a joke'

A poultry farm manager who allegedly asked employees "Who wants to die?", before pointing a firearm at one of them, could face criminal charges for the incident.

Hy-Line International employee Peter Kgoedi, 46, said the incident had left him disturbed.

It allegedly happened at the international chicken supplier's Bronkhorstspruit farm on August 2 during the company's regular meeting of various branches in Gauteng to award the best worker.

"We were waiting for other employees when he out of the blue exclaimed 'who wants to die?' He singled me out and told me to step aside from the group before pointing a firearm at me," said Kgoedi.

The father of five from Belfast, Mpumalanga, who has worked for the company for more than 20 years, claimed the other two managers stood there as if nothing had happened.

"He undermined my dignity by pointing a firearm at me. This will cause me bad luck," said Kgoedi.

Police spokesman Captain Marissa van der Merwe said a case of pointing a firearm was being investigated but no arrest had been made.

Sophonia Machaba, National Trade Union Congress general secretary, said the union had written a letter to the company's managing director demanding action against the manager.

He said the manager must face the law for the "barbaric and disgraceful" conduct.

"Pointing a firearm at another person is not a joke.

"The incident has a racial element because the workers are black and the manager white. Would he do this to another white person? I doubt it," he said.

Attempts to get comment from the company were unsuccessful.