Vodacom confirmed on Tuesday that they were investigating the death of a man who had plunged to his death from one of their cellphone towers outside Louis Trichardt in Limpopo.

“We can confirm that an unfortunate incident took place … involving an employee of a service provider at a base station site in Piesanghoek. Vodacom is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter. Our sincerest condolences to the family affected by this tragedy,” said a Vodacom spokesperson.

The tragic events unfolded during the early morning hours of Saturday, 12 February, on a Piesanghoek farm bordering the state-owned Entabeni forestry plantation where the cellphone tower is located.

According to Mr Clieve Simba (36), a security guard on the farm, three men arrived at the farm gate in a private vehicle around 06:00. He asked them what they were doing there so early in the morning, to which they replied that they were there to remove a troublesome beehive from the top of the tower. Simba had no reason to suspect that the men had ulterior motives for being there as all of them were wearing protective beekeeping clothes. He escorted the men to the tower and resumed his duties.

Approximately an hour and a half later, Simba and the workers in a workshop situated directly in front of the cellphone tower heard a loud noise. They rushed outside and noticed the man on top of the 55-meter-high tower. The man was shouting that he was being attacked by the bees and could not climb down back inside the tower the same way he had gone up. The man then allegedly tied a nylon rope around his waist and tried to abseil down the tower. His decision, however, proved fatal as the rope snapped and he plummeted to earth.

According to Simba, this was a horrific sight to witness. The man was rushed to the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital but was declared dead on arrival. The police later visited the farm to collect some of the deceased man’s personal belongings and to get statements from Simba and some farm workers.

On Monday, Makhado SAPS spokesperson Constable Irene Radzilane confirmed the incident, stating that an inquest docket was opened surrounding the man’s tragic death. She also confirmed the deceased’s identity. He was the 21-year-old Humbulani Muthenga from Madombidzha.