Pretoria - A young boy from Mamelodi east in Pretoria is unable to do his school work after his hands were badly burnt by uncovered live electric wires.
His 42-year-old mother, Holiness Tleane, yesterday told the Pretoria News that she was still traumatised by the life-threatening experience that her 6-year-old son Omatla went through.
She said her family was still reeling after the boy sustained multiple wounds on both hands after the electrical shock from uncovered electrical wires sticking out of a mini-substation belonging to the City of Tshwane.
Tleane said the incident, which took place on Women’s Day, turned her son into a toddler who needed to be fed and helped every time he wanted to relieve himself.
“Because he can’t use both of his hands, we are now feeding him, taking him to the bathroom. He is like a toddler now,” she said.
She said Omatla was also struggling with his school work.
“He is not coping at school. He is always in pain.
“He is always crying. Even at school he is always crying. He can’t even hold a pencil to write.”
On August 9, Omatla was in the company of his peers, playing in the street near the mini-electricity substation when the accident happened.
He accidentally touched live wires exposed from a transformer housed in a substation, and was left badly burnt, bruised and bloodied.
His distraught mother said: “My child was not aware of the danger that could be posed by live wire from the transformer. He is familiar with the electricity at home, but not that one. So, it happened that he touched the live wire and it burnt both of his hands.”
She recalled that after the incident, her son was rushed to Stanza Bopape Clinic, but “we were told that they can’t treat him there”.
“We then had to rush him to Mamelodi hospital. When we arrived there he was assisted urgently. We slept over there and he was discharged the following day.”
The family did not report the incident to a local police station and did not complain to the municipality, either.
“We were advised by the lawyers not to report it now,” she said.
Tleane said every time she looked at her son’s hands, she was filled with great internal pain.
“It hurts me and right now ... I have too much stress. I can’t cope with the situation. Sometimes when he cries you don’t know what to do. It hurts a lot,” she said.
According to a medical report, the family was told that the boy would have to start going for counselling and physiotherapy after a month.
Tleane said: “We blame the municipality for what happened. As a parent I am grateful my son survived, but I am asking myself what could happen to other kids who will play around that transformer.
“The municipality must be alerted about the danger that the transformer poses to the lives of our children.”
She said the accident was starting to take a toll on her in terms of keeping up with the medical costs required by her son.
The family did not report the incident after it happened on August 9 and only reported it on Tuesday.
City of Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the municipality dispatched a foreman to go and investigate the site upon receiving the query.
He said the mini-sub box in question supplied Mamelodi East SAPS Station in Marishane Street.
“The mini-sub is located adjacent to the perimeter wall of the police station premises. On face value, particularly looking from the street, the mini-sub looks intact, with main doors properly closed.
“At the backside, that is between the wall and mini-sub, there is rubbish dumped, to the extent that it covers part of the backside. Some enclosure plates of the mini-sub backside have been stolen.
“Internal components of the mini-sub were left visible at the backside. No wires are hanging on the ground,” Bokaba said.
He said the City could confirm that energy and electricity management was not aware that the mini-sub was vandalised and enclosure plates stolen.
“Upon becoming aware of the incident on August 24, efforts were made to check with the maintenance teams if anyone knew anything about this mini-sub.
“No single response received suggested any knowledge whatsoever. We can confirm that energy and electricity management and staff were not aware of the said incident until August 24,” he said.
Pretoria News