KANYAMAZANE – A six-year-old boy sustained minor injuries when he was supposedly shocked by electic cables while playing with friends in Emasaveni Section.
Concerned members of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the cables had been lying on the ground for years now and sometimes became live especially during the rainy season, posing a danger both to the lives of humans and animals.
According to residents, some of the cables had been left by members of the community who connected electricity to their homes illegally and others were apparently left by Eskom.
They added that Eskom was aware of the problem as its workers often came to fix electric problems in their homes. They had approached the local Eskom offices for assistance with the dangerous cables and were supposedly told to submit a letter of request by their ward councillor.
“We called the councillor twice on this matter and she always promised to take it further with Eskom but she never did. We are sick and tired of her empty promises, come the next elections, we will not vote because those in power do not seem bothered about the welfare of the community. How many people should be injured before they will act?” they asked.
The residents also voiced their concern about the lack of proper roads in the area. They have since decided to fix them themselves.
The ward councillor, Ms Mam Motubatse, said she was not allowed to talk to the media and referred all questions to Mbombela’s spokesperson, Mr Joseph Ngala.
“We were not aware of the matter and whoever advised the community to tell their councillor to write a letter was irresponsible and misrepresented the company. Why would Eskom need a councillor to police them in doing their work if they are endangering the lives of the community,” said Ngala.
Attempts to obtain comment from Eskom were fruitless at the time of going to print.
