An Eastern Cape municipality employee is seeking justice against his supervisor after losing an arm and a leg from being electrocuted while on duty.
Njongo Ngalonkulu said he was excited when the Eastern Cape municipality appointed him fulltime in February 2014 as a senior electrician.
However his happiness was short-lived as three months into his employment he got electrocuted and ended up having to get his left hand and leg amputated.
According to Ngalonkulu, on the day of his accident, he had been working on the main street at Mbizana town which had experienced a power outage.
He was changing an electricity surge arrestor when his supervisor allegedly gave instructions for the breaker to be switched on.
“For the past six years I have been seeking justice against my supervisor and during these years I have endured both physical and emotional pain as I still have to report to him. The municipality failed me as no internal investigation was conducted. In 2018 I approached the Eastern Cape corporate governance and traditional affairs and after they did their investigation they made some recommendations but they were also not followed. All I need is closure on this matter, [my supervisor] should be disciplined internally, I cannot suffer at the hands of someone and it be business as usual,” Ngalonkulu said.
Mbizana municipal spokesperson Thamsanqa Cwibi said tremendous effort was being made to assist Ngalonkulu.
“The internal investigation into his injury was indeed initiated only to be stopped on the advice from our legal team, as there are pending summons filed by Ngalonkulu. We therefore wish to give the process the respect it deserves,” Cwibi said.
Cwibi said the municipality has documented evidence that proves that they had gone to lengths in assisting Ngalonkulu. He said they helped him secure his compensation for his injuries, which was paid to him by the department of labour.
"We still continue to pay for his medical check-ups post hospitalisation,” Cwibi said.
However, Ngalonkulu is extremely unhappy with how his life has turned since the accident.
“I now live the life I never dreamt of. I have lost my dignity as a man, I find it very difficult to even wash my underwear. I can't clean and I get tired to even make my bed,” he said.
Ngalonkulu said this was not about money but he wanted the municipality to investigate the case so that if he is the one who is wrong he can be disciplined, and the same should go for his supervisor.
When approached for comment, the supervisor said Ngalonkulu should approach the courts with his complaint against him.
Songezo Mazizi, the director of Institute for Advancing Worker Justice and Legacy (IAWJL), which is assisting Ngalonkulu to get justice, said they will seek legal advice on the matter and make sure that he gets all the assistance he deserves.
In 2018, the provincial corporate governance and traditional affairs department recommended that the Mbizana municipality should take full responsibility for injuries sustained by its employee and that an enquiry must be conducted on the role played by his supervisor.
Ngalonkulu says no action was ever taken against the supervisor.
