As South Africans grapple with news of another tragedy in the Boksburg area, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has on Thursday, criticised what it termed a “lazy response” by the SAPS to the tragedy.
Apparently, the gas leak started on Wednesday and by evening, community members were panicking. Some of the 17 people who lost their lives were literally running away from the Angelo informal settlement.
EFF provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga has appealed to the national, provincial and local government agencies to channel “all the resources available” to help out the community members at Angelo informal settlement.
“The EFF slams the lazy response by the South African Police Service after being informed of the issue as soon as it occurred.
“State emergency services should at all times, be the first to respond in such situations. We call on the government to dispatch emergency teams for assistance, as more other people could still be affected by the gas leakages and we also call for the relocation of the residents to a much safer area to mitigate against further damages,” said Dunga.
The EFF in Gauteng has conveyed its “heartfelt” condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, and conveyed well wishes to the community members admitted in hospital.
“The EFF will avail itself to the victims of this tragic occasion and we commit to providing all the necessary assistance that could be required,” said Dunga.
Four children are among the 10 people who were hospitalised in Gauteng after inhaling poisonous gas in the Angelo informal settlement in Boksburg.
On Thursday morning, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, accompanied by officials including Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo Ralehoko, Ekurhuleni Mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana and Tambo Memorial Hospital CEO Zenzo Ndabula, visited the affected people who are being treated at the regional healthcare facility in Boksburg.
One of the patients, a woman who had survived the poisonous gas inhalation has since learnt about the death of her husband from the tragedy, blamed on illegal miners commonly referred to as zama-zamas.
IOL