Belly Mujinga dies after being spat on

A railway ticket office worker who died of coronavirus after being spat on while on duty has reportedly been told to return to work for the rest of his shift.

Belly Mujinga, who had an 11-year-old daughter, was in the concourse of London’s Victoria station on March 22 when a member of the public who said she had COVID-19 spat and coughed on her and a colleague.

Ms Mujinga’s union, the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA), said there were now “serious questions” about the death that needed to be answered.

Both Ms Mujinga and her colleague contracted the virus within days of the attack, and Ms Mujinga died in hospital in Barnet on April 5.

Ms Mujinga’s husband Lusamba Gode Katalay said the suspect approached his wife and spat in her face.

He said: “The man asked her what she was doing, why she was there and she said she was working.

“The man said he had the virus and spat at him. They reported it to their supervisor. Belly came home and told me everything.”

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Ms Mujinga’s colleagues spoke of their own safety fears following the spitting incident.

Gate worker Victor Bangura, 34, told the PA: “We are all vulnerable.”

He added: “I was very shocked. He is the last person I would expect this to happen to.

“She was a nice person, she seemed healthy, she was a mother. Imagine seeing someone like me now and the next time he dies.

“My whole body went into shock. I was very, very excited.

“We are all vulnerable, in the same station, it could happen to any of us.”

Ms Mujinga’s family claims she and her colleague told supervisors they feared for their lives and asked not to be sent back to work at the gym.

However, they were told the people had to work outside and were sent back for the rest of the shift, according to Sky News.

Ms Mujinga’s husband claims the two women were not provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) while working with the public at the station.

He said: “They weren’t given masks or gloves so they were exposed to everything.

“Her employer, the company and the state need to look at this.”

Asked about the incident and the lack of PPE, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Radio 4 Today program: “My heart goes out to Belly’s family. No one should be spat on.

“It’s not a matter of PPE, it’s just disgusting and I know the British Transport Police are investigating.

“So very, very sad, her death and indeed the death of around 50 transport workers is something I take extremely seriously.”

Shapps said it had sent out guidance to service operators, adding that PPE was not “widely recommended” for transport workers by Public Health England.

“Clearly, nobody should spit on anybody; this is a crime and I know the investigation is ongoing,” he said.

TSSA secretary general Manuel Cortes said they were “shocked and devastated” by Ms Mujinga’s death.

He added: “There are serious questions about her death, it was not inevitable.

“As a vulnerable person in the ‘at risk’ category and her condition known to her employer, there are questions as to why she was not relinquished from frontline duties at the start of this pandemic.

“Instead of talking about easing the lockdown, the government must first ensure that the right precautions and protections are in place so that more lives are not lost.

“Our rail industry needs to take a very serious look at what tasks are considered ‘essential’ and put protections in place for all our members and our passengers.”

Downing Street described the attack as “despicable”, while British Transport Police are now searching for the suspect – seven weeks later – amid suggestions that bosses at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) did not initially call the emergency services about with the incident despite Ms. Mujinga’s request. .

Angie Doll, managing director of GTR-owned Southern Railway and Gatwick Express, said the company was investigating claims about how staff handled Ms Mujinga’s case, adding: “We take any allegations extremely seriously.”

A BTP spokesman said: “British Transport Police have now launched an investigation into a report that two rail staff were spat at while working at London’s Victoria station on March 22.”

Ms Mujinga was originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to the UK in 2000.

Her husband and daughter Ingrid were two of the 10 people allowed at her funeral on April 29.

Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 405040 quoting reference 359 of 11/05/20.

A fundraising page for Ms Mujinga’s family has so far raised more than £12,000.

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