The death toll in the Boksburg gas tanker explosion has risen to 40, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said during a media briefing at the Si-Bono in Johannesburg central on Thursday.
“We continue to stand with families whose lives have changed forever due to this tragedy,” Lesufi said. “We implore our health professionals to give the best care to those still on the road to recovery.”
He said as the premier of the province, he has a difficult task of visiting all the affected families. “We will not close this chapter until those who are affected are satisfied that we can close this chapter.”
Joining Lesufi at the conference was Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who said the Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg, which had its building infrastructure damaged during the explosion, will be refurbished.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said the hospital’s windows have been fixed already. The antenatal ward and X-ray ward are among the other wards that were affected and are currently being renovated.
She said the hospital staff members, who are still traumatised by the explosion, continue to receive counselling and support.
The driver of the truck, which got stuck under the bridge before exploding on December 24 2022, faces charges of negligence, damage to property and culpable homicide. He is out of jail pending the finalisation of the investigation.
The 32-year-old driver was en route to Botswana from Richards Bay when he allegedly took the wrong exit to get onto the N17 highway leading him to Railway Street in Boksburg.
On Tuesday, the provincial department of health hosted a healing memorial service for the 12 Tambo Memorial Hospital healthcare workers who were killed during the explosion.
Addressing the memorial service, Mavis Malekane, the nursing manager at Tambo Memorial Hospital, said with the loss of experienced maternal nurses, it will be difficult to improve the indicator of mortality rate.
“Even if we were to employ more nurses today, their experiences will never be replaced. Losing experienced nurses left us with a gap that will be difficult to close,” she said.
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