The Democratic Alliance will report the latest incident involving a live electrical cable at the Kuruman sports field to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), adding it to our existing complaint against Ga-Segonyana Municipality.
Last week, a hanging power cable made contact with the metal fence surrounding the sports field, electrifying the entire structure and putting residents, particularly children, at risk of electrocution.
The danger came to light when a school teacher narrowly avoided electrocution while locking the gate. During a subsequent site inspection by myself and DA Cllr Braam van der Westhuizen, we heard electricity buzzing through the fence and saw sparks, confirming the immediate danger.
This is not an isolated incident. In Nerina Street, a collapsed streetlight pole left live electrical cables strewn across a resident’s driveway, surrounding vegetation and neighbouring property. The hazard remained unresolved for more than four months despite complaints to the municipality.
In the New Development Area, stolen and damaged infrastructure has also left cables lying across roads where children play, posing further risks to public safety.
The DA has already lodged a complaint of public endangerment with the SAHRC over the unresolved hazard in Nerina Street. We will add the sports field incident to our existing case file as further evidence of the municipality’s failure to protect residents.
Ga-Segonyana Municipality’s continued inaction reflects a disturbing disregard for public safety and its basic service delivery obligations. The DA will continue to demand that exposed electrical cables are secured, damaged streetlight infrastructure is repaired and effective measures are put in place to prevent rampant theft and vandalism of electrical infrastructure.
Residents also have an opportunity to demand lasting change at the polls on 4 November by voting for a DA-led local government. Together, we can end the chaos and decline in Ga-Segonyana and build a municipality that delivers reliable services and puts residents’ safety first.