When Lightning Meets Science: HHK Proudly Sponsors Season 2 of Lightning Pathologists on DSTV
Lightning is one of nature’s most powerful and least understood forces. It strikes with terrifying speed, leaves complex physical evidence in its wake, and — when it claims a life — demands the work of a forensic scientist to piece together what happened. It also demands the work of a lightning protection engineer to ensure it never happens again.
These two worlds don’t often meet. But when they do, the results are extraordinary.
We are thrilled to announce that HHK Earthing & Lightning Protection Systems is a proud sponsor of Season 2 of Lightning Pathologists, airing on DSTV. The show follows the investigation of lightning-related incidents through the lens of forensic pathology — and it’s a subject very close to our hearts.
A Meeting of Minds
Our Director, Birgit Kanwischer, recently had the privilege of meeting Professor Ryan Blumenthal at the launch of his highly anticipated new book, Trace: Studies of a Forensic Pathologist in Africa, published by Jonathan Ball Publishers.
Trace takes readers into a world few people are ever exposed to — the mortuary — where Prof Blumenthal spends his days among the dead, uncovering how they died and the stories their bodies leave behind. It is a deeply compelling account of a career spent in pursuit of truth, and it cements his reputation as one of Africa’s foremost forensic scientists.
Prof Blumenthal is a Senior Specialist Forensic Pathologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Pretoria. With qualifications spanning MBChB, MMed, FC For Path (SA), Dip For Med (SA), and a PhD from Wits, he has dedicated his career to advancing forensic pathology both nationally and internationally. Since publishing his first paper in 2004, he has authored 29 peer-reviewed articles — many focused on the pathology of lightning — and contributed to national and international standard operating procedures and guidelines.
His mission: to advance forensic pathology as a form of preventative medicine — what he considers community and public safety pathology. It’s a mission HHK shares deeply.
Two Sides of the Same Storm
What unites forensic pathology and lightning protection engineering is a shared conviction: that by understanding lightning scientifically, rigorously, and without shortcuts, we can save lives.
Prof Blumenthal investigates what lightning does to the human body. HHK engineers how to stop it from ever getting there — through soil resistivity surveys, scientifically designed earthing systems, SANS- and IEC-compliant installations, and legally recognised Certificates of Compliance. Together, these disciplines paint the most complete picture of lightning’s true danger and the urgent need to take it seriously.
Lightning Pathologists brings that danger to life for a mass audience, and we couldn’t be more proud to stand behind it.
Why This Partnership Matters
South Africa sits in one of the most lightning-active regions on the planet. The Highveld — home to Johannesburg, Rustenburg, and millions of South Africans — records some of the highest lightning strike densities in the world. The consequences of underestimating this threat are real: damaged equipment, destroyed infrastructure, and lives lost.
At HHK, we’ve spent 49 years engineering solutions that stand between lightning and the things that matter most. Sponsoring Lightning Pathologists is an extension of that commitment — supporting public education about lightning risk and the science that helps us understand, investigate, and ultimately prevent its devastating impact.
Watch. Learn. Protect.
Season 2 of Lightning Pathologists is airing now on DSTV. And if you’d like your own copy of Trace, it’s available now through Exclusive Books, Takealot, Loot, and all major retailers.
With 8 branches across Southern Africa, over 100 specialists, and nearly five decades of experience, HHK is your trusted partner for end-to-end lightning and earthing protection.
