Stinking row at Sun City after leaking pipes 'make staff sick'

As thousands of well-heeled guests at Sun City dined in style earlier this month, staff were apparently eating contaminated food that had been stored in a basement room with leaking sewage pipes.

Some 36 staff members claim to have fallen ill between November 14 and December 15.

The scandal at South Africa's premier holiday resort - which unveiled its R1-billion revamp at the beginning of this month - has sparked claims of mistreatment and threats of mass action by union members.

While Sun City spokesman Michael Farr said he was unaware of any contaminated food, several staff members told the Sunday Times that they had been affected.

"Our managers know we got sick after eating that food and that we were hospitalised as a result," one worker said.

Another said: "People fainted right here at work and one person was rushed to hospital in an ambulance."

Two investigations confirmed there was a leaking sewage pipe in the storeroom underneath the resort's Sun Central building.

In an inspection report dated November 8, Sun City's safety officer, George Dloke, said "dry food, raw meat, veggies, juice and other consumables" had been in the storeroom.

"A year ago the storeroom was used by maintenance [but was] moved due to a continuous flood of sewage," he wrote. "Yesterday ... an overhead sewage pipe burst."

A subsequent investigation by the Bojanala platinum district municipality's health and environmental services department - sparked by a complaint from staff at the resort - found "a manhole in the premises which can be a health hazard in the event the sewage system malfunctions".

Its report said: "There are other manholes at the entrance of the premises. The premises is also not effectively ventilated for food storage.

"Leaking pipes running over the stored foodstuffs can also contaminate foodstuffs if it's for grey water or sewage, as it's treated.

"It was explained that there was food stored in the premises but removed and destroyed after the complaint was lodged in the company. The foodstuffs were stored in the premises since November 2016 and removed on December 9 2016."

Farr said: "After having been alerted [to] the leaking of grey water from water pipe joints, Sun City management took immediate measures to identify, isolate and destroy sealed packaged dry food which was leaked on, even though no penetration of the sealed food had occurred. The sealed bulk foods which had not been leaked on were also moved to an alternative storage location."

He said Sun City was "not aware of staff members having fallen ill or having been hospitalised, neither have we had any requests to cover medical costs from any staff members".

Farr said they had not identified any contaminated food.

However, the Sunday Times was given the names of 36 Sun City staff members who claimed to have fallen ill after eating contaminated food.

The newspaper has also seen internal Sun International e-mails, dated December 5, in which Sun City unit manager Clinton Dale wrote: "This area remains a serious food safety concern, as again we are working with waste water on the floors and dripping from the ceiling.

"The ZPC plumbers were eventually contacted ... to assist, which then required that overhead pipes be opened to clear blockages resulting in more waste water on the floors and ... in some cases onto my stock items."

On the same day, a Justine Dale wrote to Daniel Boshoff, who is acting health and safety manager at Sun City, asking him "to have a look at our new storage facilities as it is leaking sewage again. I also have video footage of it."

South Africa Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union leaders at Sun City referred the newspaper to local Cosatu leader Madito wa ga Molebalwa, who said he had written to Sun International CEO Graeme Stephens and group human resources director Verna Robson last week after he was made aware of the incident.

He said management's disregard for the union's inquiries had prompted members to consider mass action.

"We demand an immediate dismissal of [Sun City general manager] Raul de Lima, and also that Sun International arrange a medical inspection and treatment of all the affected members.

"We also demand compensation for the workers, as well as a public apology."