Cape Town - Ekurhuleni authorities on Wednesday recovered the charred body of a man hanging from a high-voltage electricity pylon in Withok, West Agricultural Holdings, in Brakpan, which is about 40 kilometres outside of Johannesburg.
According to a statement issued by the city's disaster and emergency management services (EMS) on Thursday, the body was hanging head down on an 88-kilovolt electrical cable, about 25m off the ground.
Authorities and rescue teams from both Tsakane and Brakpan central fire stations responded to the call in Lucas Steyn Road, where they found the gruesome scene.
A hacksaw and screwdriver were found on the ground directly beneath the body.
According to disaster and emergency services spokesman, Williams Ntladi, the man was tampering with the cables and attempted to cut them to steal the copper inside when he was killed.
A specialised hydraulic platform was used to lift the rescuers to the correct height to reach the body.
Before authorities could attempt to retrieve the body, a safety signal had to be given to isolate the power supply from the power lines.
EMS said the scene was handed over to the police for investigations, and forensic pathology officials for the removal of the body.
South Africa's power utility Eskom and Johannesburg's power supplier, City Power, have recently announced via statements and social media that they were concerned about a growing trend of copper cable theft in the Gauteng province.
African News Agency