Residents of a Midrand country estate are turning to the High Court in Pretoria in a bid to force Eskom to dismantle electricity infrastructure over their properties.

They claim electromagnetic fields emanating from exposed power cables increase the risk of children contracting leukaemia, the Business Day reported today.

In court papers, the residents claim Eskom did not adequately consult with the public before embarking on the project.

The new line, which Eskom installed in 2011, consisted of 12 cables and two earth wires, while the previous line consisted of three cables and one earth wire.

According to the report, residents want the power utility to replace the new line with an underground power cable, which should be installed at a suitable depth and appropriately encased.

In heads of argument, the residents’ legal team, led by David Unterhalter SC, said “a positive association has been observed between electromagnetic fields and childhood leukaemia that is considered to be credible”.

Eskom has asked that the application be dismissed, arguing the residents bought their properties about 50 years after servitudes had been registered in favour of Eskom over their properties.

Lawyers for the utility, led by Frans Odendaal SC, said much of the residents’ case depended on the notion that increased voltage would necessarily cause an increase in magnetic field intensity.

He dismissed this as untrue.

Sapa

A 50-year-old man accused of beating his girlfriend to death has been arrested in East London, Eastern Cape police said on Monday.

The man was caught on Sunday in Nompumelelo informal settlement, said police spokesperson Stephen Marais.

Apparently the couple were involved in domestic violence and community members informed the police.

The woman, believed to be in her 40s, was declared dead on the scene.

The man would appear in the East London Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, said Marais.

SAPA

Johannesburg – The trial against Dr Genchen Rugnath, his wife Ravina and three others accused of charges related to human trafficking continues in the Durban Regional Court on Tuesday.

The SABC reported on Monday that the State had been granted an in-camera testimony for one of the witnesses.

The 18-year-old girl testified behind closed doors.

The accused were arrested after police conducted a raid on a lodge owned by the Rugnath couple in Durban’s Point area early last year.

The other three accused are Sandile Patrick Zweni, Nonduzo Dlamini and Bhabha Dubazini.

All five have pleaded not guilty to 156 charges, including assault, rape, sexual exploitation of a child, and racketeering. 

SAPA