Times Of Swaziland: TRUCK HITS POLE, FLAT, 7 EEC TRANSFORMERS SCATTERED

TRUCK HITS POLE, FLAT, 7 EEC TRANSFORMERS SCATTERED
================================================================================
BY STANLEY KHUMALO on 21/09/2021 08:33:00


MANZINI – A truck transporting seven transformers to Eswatini Electricity
Company (EEC) veered off the road and landed inside the premises of Eswatini
Fire and Emergency Services (ENFES) flats.
The driver oft the truck was said to have lost control just next to the ENFES
intersection road and knocked down a telephone pole before the vehicle landed on
one of the institutional houses belonging to ENFES. In the process, the seven
transformers were strewn along the road and the sidewalks. Also, lubricants that
were within the transformers were spilled on the road. When this publications’
reporter arrived at the scene, ENFES personnel and traffic police officers were
busy trying to clear the road. One of the witnesses said the residents of the
institutional houses were lucky as the truck had its speed minimised by a ditch
in front of the houses.  He said things could have been catastrophic as children
were playing outside.
Meanwhile, EEC Communications and Marketing Manager Khaya Mavuso said the
transformers were being transported to them. He said they were not yet with EEC
when the accident happened.  He said each transformer was valued at about E63
000, which meant the seven transformers were valued at about E441 000.
Expertise
Mavuso said EEC assisted in clearing the road and lifting the transformers from
the scene of the accident as they had the technical expertise in moving them. On
the other hand, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer
Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the accident. She said it happaned
around 10:30am, near Matsapha Fire and Emergency Services Station. Vilakati said
a Hino Truck driven by a 37-year-old male lost control and veered off the road.
In the process, she said, it knocked against the ENFES apartments. “A
19-year-old man of Mbikwakhe sustained serious injuries and was rushed to RFM
Hospital where he is admitted,” she said. She said the driver and two
passengers aged 19 and 21 both of Mbikwakhe sustained minor injuries.