Deadly illegal connections threat at Tongaat informal settlement
Municipal authorities fail to address the issue.
An urgent solution is needed regarding the illegal electricity connections at the Embhayi informal settlement in Tongaat.
Most recently a five-year-old boy was killed in February when he touched a live wire that fell to the ground during a storm. If nothing is done, residents fear there will be more deaths.
Ward 61 councillor Dolly Munien said the issue had been ongoing for years, with little action taken by the eThekwini municipality to address the dangerous situation.
“I have asked the municipality to cut down the trees and keep the grass trimmed around the informal settlement so that the wires can at least be visible to pedestrians, but my requests have fallen on deaf ears,” said Munien.
She said an electricity box designated for the informal settlement was installed to eliminate illegal connections.
However, many residents bypass the box, opting instead to connect directly from street lights or other electricity boxes, which in turn cause constant power outages.
A house adjacent to the informal settlement on Saxon Street had become a target for illegal connections, and the owners said they were powerless to stop it.
Munien said shallow trenches were dug, passing underneath the property’s fence to conceal the wires.
When it rains, the wires are exposed and with all the water around the current connects to the wire fence, creating a lethal situation.
This has recently caused two more deaths.
In separate incidents, a man and a woman walking along the fence slipped in the wet conditions and were electrocuted when they grabbed the fence to steady themselves.
School children, including pre-schoolers, regularly use the path and Munien fears a similar fate may befall them.
She said in 2016 about 1 400 people lived in the informal settlement, but the number had since increased to more than 3 000 after a proposed housing project failed to materialise.
Although word is the project may resume in June or July, it will only accommodate about 800 people.
eThekwini municipality had not responded at the time of going to print.
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