The death of a 29-year-old employee inside the offices of a leading South African company has sparked a wave of outrage and raised serious questions about workplace practices.
Gcina Dhladhla died on June 6 at the Rosebank offices of vehicle tracking company Cartrack in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her death has since become the subject of intense public scrutiny, with family questioning the circumstances surrounding her final days at work and demanding answers from the company.
According to reports by local media outlet Sowetan, Dhladhla had been employed as a call centre agent at Cartrack for approximately two years. Family members claim she had recently been struggling with exhaustion and stress due to a demanding workload, often working long hours, including weekends.
In the weeks before her death, Dhladhla allegedly informed her supervisors several times that she was feeling unwell. Her family says she submitted two medical certificates during the two weeks preceding the incident, but her requests for sick leave were reportedly denied. Instead, she was allegedly instructed to continue reporting for duty despite her deteriorating health.
Her aunt, Nomusa Dhladhla, told local media that Gcina had become physically and emotionally drained. “Gcina was exhausted and emotionally drained. There was no motivation. She was working long hours, including weekends, without adequate rest. She would go to work even when she had a headache,” Nomusa said.
The family further alleges that Dhladhla was warned by management after seeking sick leave. Her mother also claimed that she received a warning for allegedly abusing the company’s sick leave policy despite providing a doctor’s note.
“On Monday, she told me she would be given a warning when she returned to work despite reporting sick and providing a doctor’s note. They did, in fact, issue her with a warning,” Nomusa said.
On the day of the incident, Dhladhla reportedly collapsed inside a washroom cubicle at the company’s offices. Family members allege that she had earlier complained about feeling unwell and was advised to take pain-relief medication. They also claim the company failed to notify them promptly and was slow to seek emergency medical assistance.
Cartrack has rejected the allegations. The company has denied claims that Dhladhla was prevented from leaving work after reporting illness and has also disputed accusations that there was any delay in contacting paramedics.
The case gained further attention after South African Instagram creator coolstorybru_za shared a video discussing the incident. In the clip, he described the matter as one of the most talked-about stories in the country and highlighted the conflicting accounts provided by Dhladhla’s family and Cartrack.
The content creator noted that while the family alleges she had been ill for weeks and was penalised for taking sick leave, the company maintains that the accusations circulating online are false. He also pointed out that police are investigating the incident to determine exactly what happened.
The viral post sparked a flood of reactions online, with many social media users expressing anger and sharing their own experiences.
One user wrote, “This needs to be addressed on a national level because there are FAR too many workplace laws being broken and not enough protections for workers when sick, pregnant, on parental leave or going through family crisis. Our labor laws need to change and become more human!!”
Another commented, “SICK. I remember when I used to take the bus passed those offices. It would fill up with cartrack staff, and for the next hour on the way home the things that were said about the toxicity in that place on a daily basis was crazy.”
A third user said, “Cartrack is the worst company I have ever dealt with. Their level of professionalism is shocking. I had three trackers with them, and I cancelled all of them because of the poor service I received. If I could give them 0 stars, I would. I have never rated a company this poorly before, but even 1 star would be far too generous.”
Another claimed, “Cartrack placed me on unpaid incapacity sick leave because I took 6 days sick leave this year. Im a single mom and have no other income. Nobody is allowed to contact me or reached out to me in over 3 months.”
Others reacted with comments such as “Massive Lawsuit Loading!!!!!”, “I have my tracker with them. Let me go cancel them I’m so upset, what!!! I hope justice is served,” and “Not car track again 🤦🏽♂️. Last year it was on social for their toxic environment and now they involved in taking someone life?”
As investigations continue, authorities are expected to determine whether any wrongdoing occurred and whether the allegations made by the family can be substantiated.