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Johannesburg - Illegal electricity connections put additional pressure on the national grid and contribute to power cuts, the KwaZulu-Natal co-operative governance and traditional affairs department said on Wednesday.
MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube was reacting to Princess Ntuli, 37, being electrocuted by an illegal connection on Monday.
Paramedics said Ntuli had been walking barefoot with a bucket of water on her head in Intshawini, near Stanger, on Monday. The bucket apparently touched a low-hanging, live wire. Water spilled out and she was electrocuted, said emergency medical services spokesperson Robert Mckenzie. Ntuli died instantly.
Two brothers had allegedly connected the wire to their shack.
Dube-Ncube said: "We're optimistic that our law enforcement agencies will put those who are responsible for this unfortunate death behind bars.
"We have had numerous incidents where children as young as five have lost their lives due to the negligence of adults in the community."
Dube-Ncube said people needed to remember that illegally connections posed a risk to the entire community.
KwaDukuza municipality spokesperson Sphelelo Ngobese said on Tuesday that the two brothers were on the run.
