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‘Government has failed SA citizens’: Maimane opens culpable homicide after toddler’s death
A three-year-old recently died after her breathing machine ran out of battery due to load shedding.
Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane speaks at the Cape Town Press Club on 5 February 2020. Photo: Gallo Images/ Brenton Geach
Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane has opened a case of culpable homicide against government over the death of a three-year-old girl.
The toddler died on Thursday after the inverter powering her breathing machine ran out of battery power due to load shedding in Bromhof, Johannesburg.
She reportedly suffered from a rare form of neurodevelopmental disorder called Woree Syndrome, which causes drug-resistant epilepsy and global developmental delay.
Mamaine has since laid charges against Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramakgopa, Public Minister Pravin Gordhan and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Negligence
Speaking to the media at the Cape Town Central Police Station on Monday, Maimane accused government of negligence and failing its citizens over the country’s electricity crisis.
“Citizens collectively must stand up for culpability of the state… remember this would not be the first sort of action. In my view, this is no different to the failure to provide ARVs that led to so many people who were HIV [positive] to die,” he said.
ALSO READ: Maimane launches petition to halt Gordhan’s load shedding exemption appeal
The Bosa leader argued that the failure to provide electricity undermined citizens’ right to health and life.
“In this instance, this government has failed to protect the lives of citizens,” Maimane continued.
“As they claim that people in South Africa don’t have load shedding, we will have a grid collapse, we will have Venezuela, but how much more Venezuela can we have when children are dying. The court has already ruled that government must provide alternative energy to hospitals and schools.”
Maimane previously indicated that his party would donate inverters to hospitals experiencing load shedding across the country.
Backup oxygen cylinder
Meanwhile, the three-old-year’s mother, Sunera James told News24 on Sunday that her child depended a backup oxygen cylinder to help her breathe.
“With the constant unscheduled load shedding in Bromhof, we constantly depended on the oxygen cylinder. There were days when we wouldn’t have electricity for hours, and I would need to drive to my mother’s place in Roodepoort to plug the concentrator in so my child could breathe.”
She said the family was not aware that City Power had scheduled a planned maintenance for the area when her three-old-year run out of oxygen.
READ MORE: ‘SA must settle for load shedding until end of year at least’ – Gordhan
“We got into the car with her and drove to the hospital. Halfway to the hospital, she died in my arms,” James said.
James also said she hoped her daughter’s death was not being used as a political strategy by Maimane and his party.
“I would’ve liked the party to contact me about this decision they made so that I could’ve [explained] what actually happened, and how the maintenance of load shedding played a role in reaching this sad point in our lives.”
Load shedding appeal
Earlier this month, Ramaphosa defended government’s decision to appeal the court judgment that ordered the exemption of key facilities from load shedding, saying the rolling blackouts was a last resort to avoid a grid collapse.
The state had been ordered by the Pretoria High Court on 5 May to “take all reasonable steps within 60 days” to make sure there was sufficient electricity supply to all public hospitals, clinics, schools and police stations.
NOW READ: ‘Inhumane’ and ‘shameful’: Govt’s appeal against ruling on load shedding slammed
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