MOSSEL BAY NEWS - As the Executive Mayor of Mossel Bay, I extend my council's sincere condolences to the family of Aybanga Ngatwani (35) who lost his life during the early hours of Sunday morning, 17 November, due to electrocution.

While it is confirmed that the KwaNonqaba Police have opened a docket for a formal inquest, the municipality's investigations have revealed the following: Mr Ngatwani, a young man with his life ahead of him, was electrocuted at approximately 01:00 on 17 November at the Endlovini informal settlement. It is alleged he may have touched a wire fence that was illegally connected to the low voltage network within the informal settlement.

All the informal houses in this area were electrified in 2015 with funding from the Department of Energy. There are approximately 150 informal houses, which were erected over the past two to three years in this area and that do not have electricity supply at this stage.

The municipality regularly carries out operations in collaboration with the police to combat illegal connections and a total of 246 illegal supplies were disconnected in the Asla Park and KwaNonqaba areas over the past six months.

I again urgently appeal to the community not to endanger their own lives and that of friends and family through illegal connections.

I urge the residents to report illegal connections to the municipality so that they may be safely removed. I trust that the municipality may rely on your cooperation.

No family should have to suffer the consequences of losing a loved one due to illegal electricity connections. May the fate of the young Mr Aybanga Ngatwani be a wake-up call to all of us.

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