Popular commercial radio station Jacaranda FM and its Good Morning Angels initiative have pledged to donate R200 000 to the victims of the Boksburg tanker explosion.
This after the tragic Christmas Eve explosion claimed the lives of 41 people. Of many other victims still recovering in hospitals across the province, four are said to be in a critical condition.
Homes closer to where the explosion took place were also damaged. Twelve of those who died were healthcare workers and six of the wounded were from the emergency services who responded to the scene.
A number of families lost more than one person, and one of those is the Mashaba family. Ndumiso and Neo left behind a three-year-old toddler and a six-month-old baby, while Ndumiso’s sister, Nthabiseng, left behind an eight-year-old son.
Their parents, who they shared the house with, now have to move on without their breadwinners.
Rosetta Brits buried her four children: Jamel (16), Gerrie (10), Sebastian (14), and Adrian (12). She has two more children in grades one and four to live for.
While investigations are ongoing, the families have been advised not to speak to the media, as they struggle to deal with the loss, both emotionally and financially.
One of the organisations that has been helping the survivors with day-to-day needs and the rebuilding of damaged homes is the Hope SA Foundation.
Namritha Sivsanker, founder of Hope SA Foundation and her team have been working on the ground helping the families pick up the pieces of their lives.
“From food and clothing, pet food, baby formula, school fees, restorations of broken windows and ceilings, and the repatriation of bodies, the need in Boksburg is far from over,” said Sivsanker.
During Wednesday morning’s Good Morning Angels segment, Jacaranda FM breakfast host Martin Bester announced that the station will donate R200 000 to the victims of the explosion.
The Good Morning Angels Fund will assist both the Mashaba and Brits families with R50 000 each for whatever they need. The fund will also donate R100 000 to the SA Hope Foundation to assist other families affected by the tragedy.
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