A man has died after he was electrocuted in Morningside allegedly trying to steal cables at around 2.30pm.
A concerned Morningside resident called the Sandton Chronicle to report the gruesome scene on 26 November.
In photos, the electrocuted body is seen halfway inside an electrical box on West Street North in Morningside. A packet full of cables can be seen alongside the body. The reasons the man was inside the box has not yet been officially confirmed.
“I’m not just calling to inform you about the incident but to say how worried I am about how many exposed or open electrical boxes there are, not only on West Street but in the general area,” said the Morningside resident.
He explained that there are multiple open boxes and is desperately concerned, “What if a child puts their hands in there and is electrocuted?”
Sandton police are were on scene. The Sandton Police Station Commander Brigadier Egen Moodley confirmed the incident. He stated that an inquest docket, as well as a case of attempted theft, have been opened.
Sandton police are were on scene. The Sandton Police Station Commander Brigadier Egen Moodley confirmed the incident. He stated that an inquest docket, as well as a case of attempted theft, has been opened.
City Power stated that this is at the border of their supply from Eskom. A spokesperson for City Power Isaac Mangena said, “City Power also have a serious problem of vandalism on our boxes. We don’t leave the boxes opened. We lock them. However, criminals who often want uninterrupted access to our infrastructure will break the locks of these mini-chambers, including the big ones in which homeless people often sleep. We have had several electrocutions in those house-like chambers especially during winter.”
He added that the entity also encounters theft of street light cables. “We are working with SAPS and JMPD to ensure we arrest those found. We have started moving to scrapyards and have arrested several of them around Wynberg and London road,” said Mangena.
Mangena concluded, “Where our contractors leave the door open after maintenance, we urge residents to take photos and forward to City Power and we will take action against those contractors.”
The Chronicle has tried to reach Eskom for comment and will update as soon as it is available.
This is a developing story.
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