Death of Belly Mujinga

The death of Belly Mujinga, a 47-year-old Congolese-born woman, occurred in Barnet, North London, United Kingdom on 5 April 2020 from COVID-19 related complications. Mujinga was selling tickets for Govia Thameslink Railway at London Victoria station when she and a coworker, Motolani Sunmola, neither of whom had PPE, were allegedly spat and coughed on by a 57-year-old man who claimed to have the virus at 11:22 a.m. on 21 March 2020.

Mujinga was later taken to Barnet Hospital with COVID-19, put on a ventilator, and later died. According to a worker at the station, Mujinga had requested that she work in the enclosure due to her respiratory issues, but all were forced to work on the concourse without masks.

Mujinga's death inspired a number of protests after her case was closed in May 2020 in the United Kingdom demanding justice, as well as better treatment of frontline workers, particularly black and minority workers. A petition garnered over 2 million signatures. These protests overlapped with the George Floyd protests and were joined by Mujinga's husband, Lusamba Katalay. Mujinga is considered by many to be a face of the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK.