Rotten Pole Blamed for Death of ESCOM Linesman in Nsanje
Published on August 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM by Edgar Naitha
165 words • approx. 1 min read
A final police report has confirmed that a decayed electricity pole was responsible for the tragic death of 31-year-old Joseph Chilowa, an Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) linesman who died on duty.
According to Constable Jabulani Ng’oma, Deputy Public Relations Officer for Nsanje Police, Chilowa was working alongside fellow ESCOM employees under a contract with CR-20 to dismantle power lines connected to a camp site.
While loosening overhead wires, the wooden pole he had climbed suddenly gave way due to rot, causing him to fall to the ground. He sustained serious head and chest injuries from the fall.
His colleagues quickly rushed him to Mbenje Health Centre, but medical personnel pronounced him dead upon arrival.
A postmortem conducted at Nsanje District Hospital confirmed that Chilowa died from severe head injuries. Police have ruled out foul play and described the incident as a tragic workplace accident.
Authorities have urged all utility service providers to conduct thorough safety checks on infrastructure before any fieldwork is undertaken.
