Victor Hlungwani

Victor Hlungwani

Giyani residents are up in arms over an uncovered substation and a number of open meter boxes.

They say the electrical equipment is dangerous, especially for children.

The substation supplies electricity to more than 15 shops.

Mike Mobi, who runs a fast-food outlet near the substation, said he feared a customer would be hurt.

"I reported the problem to Eskom here in Giyani in 2003. They keep saying they will fix the broken cover, but they never do. One of my customer's was nearly electrocuted while walking past the substation on a rainy day," said Mobi.

Kenneth Makhubele, a customer, said: "It's not safe, especially for young people, to walk around town because of the uncovered substation. Maybe Eskom will respond after someone gets killed."

Abraham Gowuba, Eskom's customer service manager in Giyani, said since Eskom took over from the former homeland authority, it had not cleared all the problems. He asked people to report the faults.