Tragic death of two-year-old prompts family’s urgent plea for burial assistance

A two-year-old boy died after coming into contact with an illegal electricity connection in the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi on Wednesday, November 5.

The Nkumbini family told Vukani that Khwezi had been playing outside, just two metres from his home, when he grabbed a pipe that had been used to carry illegal cables supplying power to nearby homes. Moments later, he was electrocuted after putting the live pipe in his mouth.

The devastated family has made an impassioned plea to the public for assistance in giving the child a dignified burial.

Khwezi’s grandmother, Nosizile Nkumbini, said the tragedy has left the family heartbroken. Ms Nkumbini said the only source of income for the family is her husband's old social grant security.

 “I found him lying on the ground, and his mouth had turned purple. He put the pipe in his mouth without knowing that it carries cables because that pipe is normally used to carry water.  He died on the spot.

"We plan to bury the baby here in Marikana because we don’t have money to transport his body to the Eastern Cape. We are all unemployed, including Khwezi’s mother. We are appealing for help from anyone who can contribute so we can give my grandchild a decent burial,” she said. 

The area is riddled with dangerous, illegal connections and exposed wires, some hanging loosely from poles and others lying on the ground.

Talking about service delivery challenges, ward councillor Mboniswa Chitha, said for years he has been in conversation with the City about the area's development plans. He said the City has informed him recently that the development plans for the area had been approved, as they have secured the land.

He believes that this signals a right step in bringing the much-needed service delivery to our people. He acknowledged that it was wrong for people to connect to electricity illegally, but in the same breath, he completely understands why they resort to such extreme measures.

He promised to meet with the family as he was not made aware of the incident in time. He pointed out that the community leaders of that area should have alerted him immediately. 

Community leader, Mandla Mali, said the situation was dire.  

He urged residents, local businesses, and officials to come together to support the Nkumbini family during their time of grief.

Addressing the issue of illegal electricity connections, Mr Mali said the City  had informed residents that formal electricity installation would not be possible in Marikana because the area is classified as wetlands 

“We understand the safety risks, but people are desperate,” he said.

“Without proper infrastructure, residents will continue to resort to dangerous connections, and tragedies like this will keep happening.”