On Monday, Eskom released a statement confirming that a young girl from Grabouw was fatally electrocuted on Sunday, 19 July.
According to the statement, the little girl made contact with an unsafe live wire running from Snake Park to the Hillside hostels. Eskom says the initial investigation report indicates that the girl was among a group of children who were playing in an open field between Snake Park and Hillside hostels when the incident occurred.
The deceased girl’s sister suffered minor burns to her hands after she tried to assist the victim. She received medical attention from paramedics on the scene and is recovering at home.
General Manager for Eskom Distribution in the Western Cape, Mr Alwie Lester said, “On behalf of Eskom I wish to express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased. A full investigation into the incident has been launched. I am deeply saddened by the passing of this child whose future has been so tragically taken from her and is a loss which could so easily have been averted. I also wish the injured sibling a speedy recovery,”.
In the last 12 months, six adults have died from electrocution in what was suspected to be cases of either electricity theft or direct contact with energized wires or objects as a result of illegal and unsafe connections.
Hillside Hostels in Grabouw is an active electrification project initiated by the local municipality, whereby 384 connections will be made. The electrification project is scheduled to start in September 2020 over a phased period.
Eskom says the long-term solution to address illegal and unsafe connections would be to supply all areas with electricity. Eskom is only able to electrify an area once the relevant municipality has identified and proclaimed an area to receive services.
Unsafe and Illegal connections endanger the lives of many South Africans, especially children who often run barefoot and are unaware of the danger.
The power utility has appealed to the public to report unsafe and illegal connections, electricity theft, meter tampering, cable theft and vandalism of infrastructure by contacting the toll-free Crime Hotline 0800 11 27 22 or SMS Crime Line on 32211. Callers may remain anonymous.
