The man was burnt while trying to steal electric cables. Photo by Salang Motsepe
A young man (name withheld) tried to steal electric cables at night but ended up badly burnt.
The incident reportedly happened in a South African community.
According to Daily Sun SA, residents revealed that the man had a saw when he squeezed his body through the security fence at a transformer unit in Temba, Tshwane, South Africa.
However, his luck ran out when he tried to cut live electricity cables. He was shocked and his body flung away from the transformer.
A resident identified as Sarah Matlou, said she saw the young man going into the transformer and she heard his friends warning him.
“He said he knew what he was doing. He tried to cut the cables with a saw,” she said.
“We heard a loud explosion and the lights went off. We then saw him flying through the air and screaming. His clothes were burnt and torn, and his skin was peeling off. There was smoke coming off him.”
Another resident, Marona Morudu said she was worried about another power cut. “A young man came running down the road, screaming for residents to call an ambulance. But nobody was ready to help because we are tired of people who steal cables,” she said. “I had to replace my cable twice in the past two years.”
After the incident, the injured young man ran to the Temba Clinic.
