A Delft laaitie is the creator of Eskom’s new “superhero”.
Eskom recently launched a school competition challenging primary and high school learners to create an electricity safety superhero, with the aim of educating the public about the safe use of electricity.
Siyolise Zweni, a Grade 7 learner from Kairos Primary in Delft on the Cape Flats, came out tops as the winner of the competition.
Miranda Moahlodi, Senior Manager at Eskom, explains: “We received over 1000 entries from various schools across the country and honestly had quite a fun, albeit challenging, time choosing a winner.
“Siyolise’s design captures and resembles a hero who resonates with young South Africans, ready to take on the task of saving lives in our households and communities.”
She says this announcement comes at a time when Eskom is striving to prevent the unnecessary number of child deaths as a result of unsafe contact with electricity.
“It is regrettable that, despite significant efforts on Eskom’s part, we still lose lives to electricity-related incidents.
“Young people need to be educated about the safe use of electricity as they are prone to explore and are curious about how things work.
“It is for this reason that our main audience, for our annual safety campaigns, is children, as they are the most vulnerable” said Moahlodi.
As the overall winner, Siyolise will receive a smartphone tablet and R10 000 for his school. The provincial winners will each receive a prize worth R500.
Of great concern is illegal connections in informal settlements, notes Eskom.
“Through this initiative, we aim to save lives by providing educational information as well as avenues to report electricity incidents,” Moahlodi concludes.