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Public fatalities and injuries due to the unsafe use of electricity remains a major problem. The majority of these incidents are related to contact made with electricity and illegal connections. Most disturbing is the fact that many of those killed or injured were children.

We occasionally get reports of people being injured or losing their lives as a result of the unsafe use of electricity. As Eskom, we want to get to a point where we eliminate all injuries and fatalities caused by electricity, hence we are regularly going to the communities to ask them to help us in this fight. We are aware of the biggest causes of these incidents and would like to appeal to our consumers to assist us by avoiding connecting illegally or making contact with low-hanging cables.

Through public safety awareness campaigns, Eskom also seeks to encourage all community members to report any unsafe conditions or connections they come across by calling the Eskom Contact Centre at 0860 037 566. This includes any cases of dangerously exposed or low hanging cables, illegal connections, vandalism, cable theft etc. In the case of illegal connections, danger is posed not only to the people who connect to the Eskom network illegally, but also to the rest of their communities. Moreover, the illegal connections draw more electricity from the network than anticipated, which causes power failures and inconveniences to law-abiding paying customers.

Eskom wants to remind all South Africans that, although electricity is an essential part of life, it can be dangerous if not used correctly. It is always advisable to get a qualified electrician to do any electrical connections or repairs. Only authorised Eskom employees and contractors are permitted to work on all Eskom structures.

Issued by Eskom