The people from Soweto have the power to report and stop illegal electricity operations and exposed wires that appear dangerous to Eskom as they celebrate Electricity Safety Month.
The month of August is not only the month dedicated to the women in SA, because Eskom has used the month as Electricity Safety Month also for the national campaign.
The nationwide month-long campaign is meant to spread awareness about using electricity safely and avoiding illegal connections, The Communications Officer for Eskom, Ronel Kotze said, “Eskom has noticed with much concern a hike in unlawful operations on their network infrastructure and illegal connections in high-density areas caused by multiple households per yard.”
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Soweto is one of the areas where the above-mentioned incidents are prevalent and since the inception of the national Covid-19 lockdown towards the end of March this year, Gauteng has seen an increase in injuries because of coming in contact with electricity caused by illegal connections.
Nine fatal accidents had been reported this year because of human contact with electricity by August 6 when compared to the statistics from last year.
The power utility has intensified its efforts to curb illegal connections while the country tries to curb the spread of the global pandemic.
Every Eskom Infrastructure has a warning sign prohibiting people from tempering because of the danger of electricity, Kotze said, “Illegal connections are not only dangerous but also result in fatalities and death. Arrests have been made and people are urged to refrain from engaging in unsafe and unauthorized use of electricity.”
A resident from Soweto, Mpho Sithole said that it is indeed true that some people engage in illegal connection of electricity while some pose as Eskom agents asking for people to pay for fixing Eskom Infrastructures.
“Eskom is dedicated to life-saving rules and values, one of which is zero harm,” Kotze explained, he said, “during this month of August, Eskom encourages all the communities in Soweto to use electricity in a way that will not bring harm on them like overloading the network which may cause an explosion, injuries or even worse, fatalities and death.”
Eskom removes illegal connections and urges Soweto to hold on to all safety standards to ensure maximum and continued safety for themselves and their families in their campaign for ensuring safety and relieving the network of unwarranted strain.
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