Another Marikana child,5, electrocuted
THE body of a five-year-old boy from Marikana informal settlement in Philippi was found in between shacks after he had been electrocuted by illegal power connections in the area.
Phiwe Fityo was playing hide-andseek with his friends on Sunday afternoon when he stepped on live wires between his and a neighbour's house.
Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said Philippi East police were investigating.
According to community leader Daluxolo Naki, about 10 children had been electrocuted in the area since its establishment in 2013.
Residents have battled waves of evictions and fought for services, including the installation of formal electricity, since occupying the land.
“People understand the dangers of illegal connections but have no other choice. If the city stopped fighting back and just bought the land people would not be desperate to make their own connections. A lot of children and adults have been killed over the years because many live wires are laying on the floor and hanging in the air. One life is too many, we urgently need safe services,” said Naki.
He said they were waiting for their lawyers to give an update regarding an arbitration process, which had begun.
City Mayco member for human settlements, Malusi Booi, said the Marikana settlement was formed from various illegal land invasions of privately owned land.
He said that because it was privately owned land, the law prohibited the city from installing underground services as this amounted to improving private land with public money.
“The City acted out of humanitarian concern to provide some services on the periphery of City-owned land. It has been able to install taps and container toilets on the City-owned land within the road reserves and on the edges of the settlement, and is providing a refuse collection service, to provide some relief to the community while the legal processes surrounding the land are under way,” said Booi.
He had previously said the City had made offers to purchase the private properties, however the landowners allegedly refused the offer because of a dispute over the purchase price.
The matter went to the Supreme Court of Appeal and the parties agreed to refer the determination of the dispute to arbitration.
“The City and the landowners are now in negotiations regarding the purchase of the different land portions,” he said.