Kimberley - The only source of light, a high-mast pole, in John Daka in Galeshewe fell over because people urinated against it.
The massive 20-metre-long pole fell on top of a house and a shack, killing a dog. And the Sol Plaatje Municipality is now blaming members of the public who urinated on the pole.
The incident happened in Latlhi Mabilo Street over the weekend and residents in the area responded by blaming the municipality for the corrosion of the high mast light pole.
Municipal spokesman, Sello Matsie, said that “the highly acidic nature of urine most likely caused the metal base of the pole to corrode, causing it to collapse”.
He called on residents not to urinate against light poles and substations as to prevent any future incidents of this nature.
The pole damaged the surrounding devil’s fork fencing, the roof of the house and shack, interior walls throughout the house and an outside wall. The fixture on top of the pole crushed a kennel in the yard, killing the home owner’s dog, who was inside the kennel at the time of the incident.
The owner, Sophie Mojaki, said she was in the kitchen preparing lunch for her seven-year-old granddaughter, when she heard a loud bang on the roof.
“I heard the bang but thought it was children throwing rocks on the roof. And then the police knocked on the door.”
Mojaki added that while she was extremely glad that she and her granddaughter did not sustain any injuries, she was “heartbroken” about her dog.
“The massive light on top of the pole fell of Blessie (her dog’s) kennel and he lay trapped inside. When I reached him, only his nose was sticking out from under the rubble. He was dead. I will miss that dog. He always looked after me and loved me very much,” she added.
While the Sol Plaatje Municipality emergency services cut up the pole and removed it with a crane shortly after the incident, the pole’s path of destruction across the yard could still be seen on Sunday, as cracked walls and dented pieces of zink were clearly visible. Two sections of the pole had also not yet been removed by Sunday.
John Daka residents are apparently planning a protest action following the incident. According to them the pole was one of the few still working in the area.
“John Daka has now been plunged into darkness and we will take to the streets to protest on Tuesday if the municipality does not repair this and other light poles in the area,” John Daka resident, Joey Steenkamp, said.
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