The 32-year-old man arrested in connection with the gas truck explosion in Boksburg on Christmas eve is expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrates court on Wednesday.
The death toll now sits at 18, with eight of the deceased being nurses at the OR Tambo Memorial Hospital. One of the hospital’s drivers also died.
A number of other people were injured during the blast, and the hospital and surrounding public infrastructure suffered extensive damage. Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and Infrastructure Development Lebogang Maile said the hospital’s electricals would need R18million to fix.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said his thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have perished in the incident and he wished the injured persons a speedy and full recovery.
“The nation’s hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating incident. Such events take on greater sadness and tragedy when they occur at this time of year when all of us pray for safety and look forward to the togetherness and comfort of extended time with family and friends.
“In this instance, the loss of life is rendered more intense because some of the victims were hospital patients, hospital staff and children, while firefighters are counted among the injured.
“While we await the outcome of investigations into this tragedy, this incident does, like so many others, call on all of us to show due care and to avoid risk when we are out on our roads, which we share as a public amenity,” said the president.
The truck driver faces charges of culpable homicide and malicious damage to property. National and provincial departments of health have assessed the damage to the hospital, and repairs are underway.
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has begun the process of relocating families whose homes have been destroyed by the blast.
The President said: “As government, we are taking all necessary actions to bring relief to persons affected by the incident and we draw inspiration in our own efforts from the demonstrations of ubuntu that we are seeing on the part of communities and community-based organisations.
“While these interventions bring us hope and light in our darkest hour, we must always live by the resolve to prevent such catastrophe from taking place in the first place.”
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