Durban - A 6 year-old-girl is lucky to be alive after she came into contact with exposed electrical wires in Verulam on Monday.
The girl lives with her family in an informal settlement in Ramnanan Road. According to Prem Balram of the private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) the girl was walking on an unpaved road when she slipped and fell on a live uninsulated electricity cable.
"Members of the community managed to move the cable before transporting the girl by taxi to Osindisweni Hospital where she is reported to be in a stable condition," he said.
A child was killed by an illegal electricity connection, said Balram, at the same informal settlement, in 2017, after a resident created an electric fence to secure his home.
eThekwini municipality spokesperson Mandla Nsele said they receive several illegal electricity connection complaints from different parts of the city which are attended to by technicians.
"The wires are cut and confiscated. With the assistance of the South African Police Service, we have made numerous arrests. Electricity theft has led to devastating and tragic consequences, such as loss of life as well as damage to infrastructure costing the Municipality millions annually," Nsele said.
He added that the negative impacts of illegal electricity connections include the hefty costs of replacement of infrastructure and hiring security, the shutdown of business operations, loss of income and loss of exports.
"Several initiatives and modifications to the infrastructure have been taken to minimise the impact of illegal connections," Nsele said.