'Temporary fix is safe, but do not touch cables,' says municipality

Date: 12 April 2024 By: Andries van Zyl

The town of Louis Trichardt has encountered numerous electrical problems in recent weeks, necessitating several expedient solutions to restore power to residents as swiftly as possible. However, many residents have raised concerns about the safety of these sometimes temporary measures.

An example of such a temporary fix can be observed at the electrical pole located at the corner of Erasmus and Douthwait Street, situated on the grounds of Laerskool Louis Trichardt. Live cables appear to have been joined and secured only with insulation tape. This arrangement has remained for several weeks.

"That specific pole has already caught fire three times, literally bursting into flames!" said Mr Greg Stewart, vice-principal of Laerskool Louis Trichardt. "Each time it has burned, I have phoned the municipality to report that the pole had caught fire, and this is how they came and fixed it every time,” he added.

Stewart noted that the municipality is fully aware of the potential danger the exposed cables pose to the public and pupils. "They have also frequently attended to the transformer located adjacent to the pole, so they cannot be unaware of the issue," said Stewart.

In light of this potentially hazardous situation, Mr Louis Bobodi, spokesperson for the Makhado Municipality, was approached for comment. Among the questions posed to him was the safety of this situation.

"Yes, it is safe as it is merely a temporary measure and solution. The installation will be normalised in no time. However, we are also making a clarion call to members of the community to be ever vigilant and always hold it in the back of their minds that all electrical equipment must be treated as live, as tampering with them could be dangerous and fatal,” was Bobodi’s response.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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