On 13 November, another death was recorded due to electrocution, making three deaths this week, with two in informal settlements.
The 23-year-old victim died after walking along a path littered with exposed wires that are used to connect electricity illegally. The incident occurred near the New Canada informal settlement.
He was found in the early hours of the morning by recyclers and is suspected to have died on the night of 12 November, or early the following morning.
Also Read:
https://www.citizen.co.za/roodepoort-record/2015/08/13/report-illegal-connections-record/
The first electrocution this week occurred in the veld near the Princess informal settlement after a man reportedly tried to connect electricity illegally.
Both these informal settlements are not yet electrified, and make up two of about 163 informal settlements across the City of Johannesburg without electricity.
The fact that the informal settlements are not electrified leads people to connect to the City Power network illegally.
City Power said in a statement on Wednesday that these illegal connections are not only dangerous to the perpetrators and the children playing in the area, but they also put a strain on the network infrastructure and threaten the supply of electricity.
The entity said that more than R2 billion is being lost per year because of non-technical losses, including illegal connections in suburbs and informal settlements.
“We strongly condemn the illegal connections and appeal to residents who have no electricity to go through the right process within the City, including the IDP process, to request electrification,” said City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena.
City Power is warning all residents in suburban areas and informal settlements to refrain from connecting to the network illegally. This will prevent more accidental deaths.
