Father seeks justice after girl shocked outside school

A KIMBERLEY father is seeking legal advice, believing that negligence was at fault when his eight-year-old daughter suffered a serious electrical shock outside Endeavour Primary School in Deodar Road, Floors, this week.

Sol Plaatje Municipality has attributed the incident to electricity theft and tampering.

Teachers who rushed to provide first aid to the girl on Tuesday at the close of the school day reported that she was screaming hysterically.

Paramedics were called to transport her to the hospital for medical assistance.

Gerald Matika stated that his daughter, a Grade 1 pupil, was extremely traumatised by the incident.

“She was discharged on Wednesday evening as she wanted to come home. She sustained a head injury and has heart pains but hopefully, she will recover. She has been booked off school for the week,” said Matika.

He believed that the municipality should accept responsibility for the incident.

“I am also considering opening criminal charges. Although theft and vandalism are common problems, the municipality was supposed to take the necessary precautions to prevent injury and death because the school reported the hazard a long time ago. My child could have died.”

A Grade 1 educator at Endeavour Primary School, Callista Simons, said the pupil had removed her shoes to walk through the water that had flooded the road on Tuesday.

“Sol Plaatje municipal workers were attending to a burst water pipe in front of the houses near the school earlier in the day, and the road was flooded,” explained Simons.

Simons added that the girl was shocked as she was walking home, having passed an electrical metering kiosk that was submerged in water.

“Thankfully, staff members were not shocked in the process of pulling her out of the water.”

Road a safety hazard

She pointed out that the road was either covered in overflowing water or sewage, presenting a safety hazard.

“It is a safety hazard as germs are being brought into the classrooms. The road is also full of potholes. A few pupils have been bumped while being collected or dropped off at the school. Traffic is extremely congested as the road ends in a cul-de-sac.

“The municipality should ensure that the safety of pupils is prioritised at schools. Councillors have advised us that they are powerless if the municipality fails to attend to a complaint.”

Endeavour Primary School principal Ashley Swarts added that the appalling state of the road has been reported multiple times over the years without any response.

“Our cries have fallen on deaf ears,” he said.

Initial findings point to tampering

Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Thabo Mothibi stated that they were investigating the theft of electricity at the site.

“The incident occurred next to a metering kiosk, also known as a pillar box, that had been tampered with,” said Mothibi.

He added that they had questioned a homeowner in the street who claimed to have been without electricity for “over a year”.

“However, there wasn't a single candle or lamp inside the house. The municipality sought the intervention of law enforcement agents as the occupant of the house, who is a Nigerian national, became aggressive and prohibited the team from making a thorough assessment.”

Mothibi said that charges of tampering with municipal infrastructure and theft were opened against both the tenant and the property owner.

He stated that a technical team and electrical engineer attended the scene shortly after the pupil was rushed to the hospital.

“The initial findings point to tampering with an electrical distribution board at one of the houses adjacent to the municipal metering kiosk,” he said.

Mothibi added that the distribution board’s circuit breaker was “not in place”.

“This resulted in a live wire being exposed to the bare earth wire. Consequently, the illegal connection rendered the kiosk and its surroundings to be live.”

He said that the circuit breaker at the metering kiosk was immediately switched off for safety reasons following the incident.

“The underground cables on the premises were removed on Wednesday to ensure a complete disconnection from the electrical network.”

Mothibi stated that although the young pupil was “visibly shocked” after the incident, she was “doing well.”

“We are relieved that she is out of danger and recuperating well. Our health and safety officer will stay in contact with the family and the school,” he said.

“We have reached out to the parents of the pupil, educators at the school and members of the school governing body.”

He appealed to the public to report illegal connections and the theft of electricity to the police on 10111 and the municipality on 080 122 9010 or 053 830 6 111.

Outrage amongst community members

The incident has meanwhile sparked outrage amongst community members, with parents fearing that their children could also be harmed.

“How many more children must get hurt or die before anything is done?” asked a parent.

Gerald Visagie, from the Kimberley Action Group, rejected the explanation that the incident was due to electricity theft.

“Why is the community being blamed when a child was shocked by a live wire under the water? More injuries will happen unless the electricity kiosk is elevated from the ground due to regular pipe leaks,” said Visagie.

Shaine Griqua, from the Shaine Griqua Advice and Development Centre, pointed out that gaping potholes were left unattended in Colville and Floors for months, while service delivery was “non-existent”.

“Taxpayers are given the middle finger if they stand up against poor workmanship and the filthy state of the city,” said Griqua. “The road where the incident happened has been in a horrific mess for ages. It has never been properly repaired and water is constantly running down the street and the smell of sewage is overwhelming.”

The provincial organiser of the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (Nupsaw), Thapelo Thole, whose 11-year-old son drowned in a stormwater canal between Gogga pump station near Riemvasmaak in Galeshewe in 2022, offered to assist the pupil and her family.

“While she fortunately did not appear to suffer any severe injuries, the electrical shock could have been fatal. We also do not know if she may suffer any long-term consequences. It amounts to negligence,” he said.