Download PDFEskom and the South African Police Service (SAPS) have opened an investigation following the death of an 11 year-old boy who sustained fatal injuries after coming into contact with live electricity connections in Tjovitso informal settlement in November 2021.
The tragic event happened along the Golden Highway in Orange Farm Extension 2 (south of Johannesburg) where a group of boys were allegedly swimming in a pool of water next to the railway line, when one of them came into contact with open wires on the ground. The deceased’s brother apparently carried the victim’s body to the Golden Highway where the Gauteng Emergency Services (GES) found them and declared the boy dead on the scene.
Eskom’s Safety Health Environmental Quality Manager in Gauteng said: “We are deeply very hurt by the loss of this 11 year-old boy and we extend our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased. It is most concerning to us that it is often children who fall victim to these acts of criminality, where cables are openly laid along the ground to steal electricity illegally. This is totally unsafe and risk injury to those conducting them, and everyone else the vicinity.”
Eskom added “We have disconnected the wires that were illegally connected to the transformers supplying electricity to a neighbouring school, and we are working with the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies to remove these illegal connections in the area.”
Communities in the areas tend to become hostile towards Eskom when they remove these wires; and often replace illegal connections shortly after removal.
“We urge members of the public to restrain from such acts of criminality as they can be fatal.”
This article was submitted on 22 November 2021. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
