| Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite in English by DA Constituency Head: Rustenburg Local Municipality, Cheryl Phillips MP.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Rustenburg Local Municipality will write to the Mayor, Cllr Sheila Mabale-Huma, and the Municipal Manager (MM), Adv Victor Makona, to insist on an investigation into the death of one municipal worker and the injury of four others after attending to a power outage. One worker was fatally electrocuted while working to restore electricity supply along the Modderfontein road on Friday. DA Councillor Jean Keyser rushed to the scene of the accident where he found that workers do not have the required ARC rated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed for the safe execution of their duties on electrical infrastructure. Four more municipal workers were injured while attending to another power outage in East End on the same day. DA Councillor Cobus Nortje was present on site when the accident occurred and can confirm that the municipal workers were not wearing any ARC rated PPE gloves or face shields. Two of the injured municipal workers were transported to the Milpark Hospital for further treatment. Following these incidents, the DA was present at several sites where municipal workers attended to power outages. At all the locations, workers did not have the required ARC rated PPEs. (See picture here). The DA views this as gross negligence by the Rustenburg Municipality and the wilful endangerment of municipal workers. We call for the urgent procurement and supply of the necessary PPEs. Municipal electrical workers must be fully equipped with the correct ARC rated PPE to prevent death and injury. We express our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased and hope that they will find peace and comfort during this tragic time of grief and wish the injured workers a speedy recovery. |
