In July 2011, a large part of Joe Slovo squatter camp in Coronationville burned down. The fire was allegedly attributed to illegal electrical connections.
In September 2011 Children of Fire invited City Power to address Emang Slovo, the non-political residents association in the squatter camp, about how the illegal activities of some people are endangering the lives and property of other people.
Because of the noise of generators it is easy to determine at night which shebeens have illegal connections, because they have electric light but no generator is on e.g. that run by Aaron Rambuda (know as Majapere).
Electricity is especially dangerous for people who have never learned about it at school and who have not grown up with this source of heat or light available to them.
Children of Fire also asked Brixton SAPS to find an honest (unbribe-able) plain clothes black officer to investigate the matter, so that he could move in the squatter camp without drawing attention to himself.
In April 2002, for the first time, the South African Department of
Labour started carrying a series of informative safety advertisements in
newspapers. Electricity is a common cause of burns, particularly with people
getting electricity for the first time in their homes and not being fully aware
of the dangers. Illegal tapping of electricty is lethal yet common.
Many conventional houses have false electrical compliance certificates
and many also do not have an electrical earth. Scientific education in the
general population is poor and people have little understanding of the dangers
of overloading sockets, cutting grass with an electrical mower in the rain...
or even taking an extension cable with a light on, into an outside shower!
New Electrical Inspection Authorities have been approved to investigate
alleged non-compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993, and
also in terms of Electrical Machinery Regulation Number 12. Section 38 (e) of
the Act prohibits interference with an inspector in his/her duties.
The Approved Electrical Inspection Authorities can be contacted on:
| Johannesburg: |
011 435 2030 |
| Cape Town: |
021 987 3010 |
| Durban: |
031 205 3641 |
| Pretoria: |
012 379 3666 |
| Port Elizabeth: |
041 364 2868 |
| Klerksdorp: |
018 468 8462 |
| Welkom: |
057 353 2289 |
The Department of Labour in Pretoria is on: 012 309 4384 / 4392 / 4394.
