Samuel Malaza and Tshepi Manaka put their lives in jeopardy trying to save the lives of Angelo informal settlement residents.
They said they would do it again to save other people’s lives. This after three gas bottles are said to have leaked on Wednesday evening in the informal settlement in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, leaving 17 dead and an unconfirmed number of people in hospital.
The two men told Sunday World on Thursday that the commotion started at about 7pm, however, because of how harsh the gas was to their nostrils, they reached the crime scene at 8pm.
Describing the crime scene, Manaka said they had to go back home to get cloths to cover their faces in an attempt to avoid inhaling the gas.
“When we arrived, we bumped into four bodies laying on the ground and they all had foam coming out of their mouths. We proceeded to a family of five and all of them were dead too,” said Manaka.
“We could still hear a sound coming from the gas bottles, however, we couldn’t locate them. So we actively looked for them because we knew if they continued running, the whole community was going to die.”
Malaza said when the incident was reported to him, he asked Manaka to join him on his way to the scene because he knew how brave he is, and that he would help him save those who could still be saved.
“He didn’t ask questions, we both got wet towels and left. We couldn’t wait for the police or health practitioners because we were told that people were dying, our main focus was to save the remaining people,” said Malaza.
Solly Nonyane, a traditional council leader from the area, confirmed that the people who died are undocumented Mozambican nationals.
“It is so devastating that we find ourselves here, yet again. The topic is undocumented foreign nationals who are mining illegally. This area is not safe because of these illegal mining operations that randomly take place here,” said Nonyane.
He added that government is aware of illegal mining activities. However, he said there is no action taken against those who commit the crime.
“This is a huge challenge that we cannot overcome on our own. The commander in chief [Ramaphosa] and his ministers need to treat this as a serious issue and implement action, because to preach and cry about it is not a solution.”
In December 2022, a fuel tanker exploded under a railway bridge not far from the Angelo informal settlement and killed 41 people.
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