The Booysen and Molapo families in Graslaagte farm near Lichtenburg in North West are still reeling in shock after members of their families got electrocuted.
This is alleged as a result of illegal electricity connections in the area.
Two siblings, 27-year-old Nini Booysen and her 19-year-old brother Silas Booysen, as well as their neighbour Gadifele Molapo, met their untimely death after watching a soccer match on Sunday.
Graslaagte farm is located about ten kilometres outside Lichtenburg. Most of the residents are said to be working at the Henwill Chicken Farm. The area became a crime scene on Sunday. The deceased were reportedly trying to jump a fence because it was raining, when they got electrocuted. Their families are distraught.
Lucas Lebalelo speaks on their behalf, “It is so sad to see what happened because we did not expect to see what happened. We are in pain and now as the family, we have to meet and see how best we can assist each other. As the family we have not met to discuss the issue of where we are going to get help.”
Locals blame this on illegal electricity connections.
“We found the first victim sleeping on her back on top of a fence the second victim who is a boy was pulling the first person with a leg while the third person who might be their cousin was also dead. This incident really caused pain to us, it is for the first time it happens since 1990,” says one resident.
“There is an electric box so people residing in shacks made illegal connection. So, as we heard in news that the incident occurred as a result of illegal connections because we need electricity hence, we made illegal connections,” adds another.
Meanwhile, Henwill Chicken Farm had not yet responded to our request for a comment on how the informal settlement got to be illegally connected to their electric box, as alleged.
