26/06/2026
Dear Greater Tzaneen Municipality
This is a reminder to the director of the electrical services department and current acting municipal manager at the Greater Tzaneen Municipality, Freedom Mtetwa.
It is also a reminder to the new mayor, Odas Ngobeni.
More importantly, it is a wake up call to all the councillors in all the wards.
In South Africa, the law mandates that electrical distribution boxes, miniature substations, and switchgear enclosures must be lockable or bolted to permit access exclusively to authorized personnel.
Unsecured boxes with exposed wires are illegal, and anyone operating contrary to these safety rules is in breach of national regulations.
As the director of electrical, you and your entire department are in contravention of the Electrical Machinery Regulations.
These regulations govern the Operational Health and Safety Act.
Enclosures containing electrical switchgear and transformers must be locked off to prevent public tampering and electrocution hazards.
According to the national wiring code, SANS 10142-1 (which is legally enforced by the Department of Employment and Labour), the doors or internal covers protecting live parts inside a distribution board must be removable only with a tool, unless they are secured behind a locked outer cover or door.
When an electrician or maintenance staff is servicing equipment, the main switch must be isolated and physically locked out with a padlock to prevent accidental power restoration.
For residential complexes or sectional titles, it falls to the Body Corporate to ensure common area meter boxes or switchgear are adequately secured.
For municipal power boxes on pavements, the relevant municipality or utility (such as Eskom or the GTM) bears the legal responsibility to maintain the enclosures and keep them safely locked.
You may decide to ignore me.
You may even decide to ignore my newspaper.
But as the current acting accounting officer for the Greater Tzaneen, and the current mayor, you cannot ignore the law.
And when, not if, but when a member of this community is electrocuted because of the negligence your municipality is displaying, you will not be able to ignore the consequences.
We, as concerned members of this once fully functional community, hope that you will rectify this situation speedily and hold to account the contractors and individuals responsible.
Regards,
Your friendly neighbourhood Newsman,
Joe Dreyer
