By REGINALD KANYANE
Learners in Manokwane village near Taung are forced to jump over exposed Eskom electricity cables to get to school. Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and a social activist, Eddie Mogorwe said the cable poses danger to the pupils.
“It’s been four months since I reported this matter to Eskom, including to our own Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM). However, nothing has been done thus far to correct the problem. Our ward councillor, Oageng Seleke and municipal speaker, Ebusang Tladi are also aware of this cable hanging low in our village, but our plea has fallen in deaf ears.
“I think our leadership wants to see someone dead before they can react. This project was rolled-out a few months ago and this clearly shows that the contractor delivered shoddy work. However, one could only conclude that there was no oversight and monitoring from the municipality and Eskom,” he said.
Seleke said: “We are aware of this challenge and we have already started engagements with Eskom. I think the contractor did shoddy work and this matter is not only being experienced in Manokwane. There are a number of villages that have the same challenges.
“This might have been caused by rocky areas and prompted the contractor not to dig deeper holes when erecting electricity poles.”
Meanwhile, Eskom provincial spokesperson, Khaya Mnyandu said the arrangement was made to disconnect the air deck and place it in a proper way.
According to Science Direct website, injuries from contact with connecting wires are known to occur but are scarcely described.
“All children presenting with a history of an electrical injury were admitted. 103 cases were included in the study. 91% were low-voltage injuries with no mortalities, and 9% were high-voltage injuries with a 67% mortality rate.
“Mean age at presentation was 4.5 years. 81% of injuries were caused by outside wires and other illegal installations. There was a decreased frequency of injuries during the winter months. 73% had biochemistry derangements. Total body surface area affected ranged from 0% to 76%.”
The website states that the incidence of electrical injuries in this study was 7% of all burns related admissions. It says injuries sustained carried significant morbidity and mortality.
“The dominant mechanism of injury in this study can be targeted in primary prevention strategies. In South Africa 10% of inhabitants live in informal dwellings with no running water or electricity. Access to electricity may be improvised by redirecting current from existing fixtures.
“To describe the epidemiology, presentation and management of electrical burn injuries experienced by Soweto children presenting at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. A retrospective review of records for children with a diagnosis of an electrical injury between September 2013 and August 2016 was performed.”
The Guardian 