A railway ticket officer died of ‘natural causes’ two weeks after she was spat on by a man infected with Covid-19, an inquest has ruled.
Belly Mujinga, 47, was working at London’s Victoria station on March 21, 2020, when she and her co-worker, Motolani Sunmola, was assaulted.
A man, 57, allegedly claimed he had Covid-19 before spitting and coughing on the pair, neither of whom was wearing PPE.
Mujinga, who had underlying respiratory problems, and Sunmola fell ill with the virus only days later.
The mother-of-one was admitted to Barnet general hospital and put on a ventilator but died on April 5.
North London Coroner’s Court heard how Mujinga was suffering from sarcoidosis, a rare inflammatory disease that formed in her throat in 2016.
Assistant Coroner Tony Murphy concluded Mujinga died from ‘natural causes’ brought on by the twofold blow of Covid-19 and sarcoidosis.
‘Hard working’, ‘much loved’ and someone who believes deeply in ‘equality and justice’ – Mujinga always carried herself high, the inquest heard.
Born in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, Mujinga became the first female sports presenter for the national broadcaster RTNC.
Moving to the UK to escape the unrest following the assassination of President Laurent-Désiré Kabila in 2001, she got a job at a Post Office in Edgware.
She married her husband, Lusamba Katalay, 10 years later before becoming a ticket officer at Victoria, one of London’s busiest train stations.
Her employer, Govia Thameslink Railway, described her as a ‘much-valued’ worker, Murphy said.
In the weeks before the incident, when Covid-19 was little-understood and a vaccine unthinkable, fears about the virus were high.
Mujinga was among those worried, given how she was more ‘vulnerable’ to coronavirus due to her sarcoidosis, the inquest heard. She had expressed concerns to her employer about having to work without PPE.
Murphy said: ‘Between the 8th and 25th of March, Mrs Mujinga worked 13 shifts at Victoria Station. She started at 6am and finished at 2:45pm.
‘In a social media video shared before the national lockdown, Mrs Mujinga stated: “People are afraid. Stay at home and stay safe.
‘”We are here, we have to work. But even though we are here we are trying to be safe. Try to be safe yourselves.”
‘On March 21, she said there were two interactions between a man and Mrs Mujinga and two of her colleagues.
‘The man denies spitting but CCTV footage shows him walking away and going back again.
‘He admitted to coughing at them but says this was unintentional.’
Having just celebrated her 47th birthday, Mujinga soon began to notice a ‘cough’ that spiralled into exhaustion and rattling heart palpitations.
Murphy added: ‘Mrs Mujinga sadly died in hospital, having suffered from sarcoidosis and Covid-19.
‘She is much missed by her family, friends and colleagues.’
A major police inquiry followed and the man who spat at the married mum was traced – British Transport Police reported no further evidence of the incident.
Prosecutors said there was not enough ‘viable’ evidence to press charges against the man.
‘The Crown decided there was not a viable cause to prosecute (the passenger),’ Murphy said.
‘There was evidence that he was suffering from Covid.’
Mujinga’s family reflected on the legacy of their loved one’s death, which touched off a wave of protests calling for better treatment of frontline workers – especially Black staff – that folded into Black Lives Matter demonstrations at the time.
‘The family wish to put on record that they thank the Coroner for his kind consideration of Belly’s situation and they accept the judgement of the coroner that the cause of her death was “natural causes”,’ the family said.
They thanked the two million people who signed a petition calling for Govia Thameslink to ‘provide an explanation’ as to why Mujinga was made to work in ‘direct contact with general public passenger flow’.
‘Belly was an inspiring person, and we hope that she continues to bring some light into all of your lives,’ the family added.
The family said that while they ‘accept’ the findings of the inquest, they noted an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is still ongoing.
In court, a statement from the family described Mujinga as someone who will be remembered as a ‘whole, wonderful person’ more than her death.
She was a keen cook and a kind mother, they said, whose daughter must now ‘grow up without her mother’.
‘Belly will be missed every day,’ they added.
‘But her family hope she leaves behind a legacy of a person who fought for what was right, who was dedicated, loving, considerate and kind.’
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