A man has been killed and another seriously injured after they were electrocuted while allegedly trying to illegally connect electricity in Tladi, Soweto. The power utility says the incident happened at its mini sub-station in the area.
Eskom Gauteng Spokesperson Reneilwe Semenya says police are investigating the matter.
“Two men were electrocuted while allegedly illegally operating on an Eskom mini substation. One was fatally injured and the other sustained serious injuries. Eskom has expressed concern for the loss of life through electrocution at the substation. The power utility warned that unauthorised operations on its electricity infrastructure are not only unsafe, but they comprise the integrity of our networks.”
In 2019, two people died after being electrocuted while tampering with City Power infrastructure in two separate incidents in Johannesburg.
Meanwhile, the temporary closure of the Camden Ash Dam Power Station in Mpumalanga will give Eskom an opportunity to carry out critical maintenance work.
The dam wall is facing a possible collapse.
Eskom CEO, Andre De Ruyter revealed this when he briefed Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises and the Select Committee on Public Enterprises and Communications during a virtual meeting.
“We have taken a decision to shut down that station in order to address the risk of a potential collapse of the dam wall. We are in the process of mitigating that risk and we expect them to return to operation after the end of winter. Now again, we are taking advantage of this precautionary shutdown in order to carry out critical maintenance and this is in order to continue our operation and a reasonable and prudent operation operator of this particular power station.”
