By Tswelopele Makoe
THIS past Thursday, July 20, a ferocious explosion ripped through Johannesburg’s busy Bree Street. Vehicles, vendors and unsuspecting citizens were frequenting the road when an abrupt force shattered the ground below them, leaving a strew of chaos and destruction in its wake.
About 34 vehicles, some carrying passengers, were flung into the air. Among them were five taxis which were completely overturned. This distressing event has left one person dead, and 48 others injured.
According to Egoli Gas, the cause of the explosion was a “small leak” on the servitude pipeline at the corner of Bree and Eloff streets. Egoli Gas, which according to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has been the “centre of focus” investigating the blast, maintain that it is “unlikely that the explosion was caused by a gas pipeline or leak”.
The oil and gas company has also stated that their gas pipelines are intact, and that a white gas-like substance was observed coming from the exposed cracks and openings following the explosion, whereas their gas is “not visible to the human eye”.
The Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi, said although the cause of the explosion had not yet been confirmed, the widespread illegal mining could not be ruled out.
Kabelo Gwamanda, the Mayor of Johannesburg, said the explosion likely occurred due to pressure in the underground infrastructure, which was highly “congested” by the presence of water, electricity, and gas pipes. “Any of these pipes could – due to pressure – have caused the explosion,” Gwamanda said.
An Occupational Assessment is being conducted by The Department of Human Settlements in order to evaluate the affected foundations and the integrity of the buildings, in order to respond accordingly.
In the Bree street area, three power substations — Bree, Braamfontein and John Ware — have been offline since the incident and will remain offline until the area is declared safe enough, the authorities tells us. In fear of a secondary explosion, people have been warned to steer clear of the site.
In my humble opinion the true concern, however, should be the shift in the lived reality of the those that inhabit this area. From residents, to employees, vendors and small business owners, scores of people will be negatively affected, and this ripple effect will be felt across the entire central business district.
There is no way to predict the full ripple effect of an explosion. Not only is there a serious impact to the structural integrity of everything that stands around the area of impact, but there are also underlying issues that could occur, that could gravely impact the residents of the area, such as breathing problems from the dust, smoke, or toxic fumes.
The physical injuries sustained by the victims of the explosion are often extensive and volatile, worsened by the financial demand of health care. This is particularly crippling for households in which the breadwinner is physically impacted.
Explosions not only leave physical damage, but also adverse emotional trauma. Many people struggle to continue with their daily lives.
It is not uncommon for victims of explosions to experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), debilitating anxiety, and depression, amongst others. Others experience greater sensitivities to their environment, such as being easily startled, having recurring thoughts of the incident, and developing heightened fears of being outside, driving, or crossing the road.
This can further inhibit the ability to leave one’s home, go to work, and as such, greatly impact one’s livelihood.
Addressing mental and physical health issues following an incident of this magnitude can be timeous and exorbitant. In this country, we have a stratospheric unemployment rate, with a 62% poverty rate, according to the 2023 statistics.
Scores of citizens do not have access to adequate health care and systems of support in the case of an explosion. This has a ripple effect on the households and the liveability of innumerable citizens.
Bree Street will be dreadfully impacted for the foreseeable future. Addressing this incident will call for an immense effort by the city and the country’s leadership, in order to effectively and opportunely address the damage inflicted by the explosion. Citizens can call for safety continuously, but it is within the reach of the leadership to truly enact it.
We need to place our safety systems and structures at the forefront. We need to ensure the maintenance of our pipelines and infrastructure, particularly as the population grows. We need to implement more efficient and technological systems, that can compensate for our growing population. We need to utilise clean, renewable energy systems of production and materials in order to more efficiently and effectively address our current, and our future challenges.
The power crisis that has impacted the nation is a perfect example of the fact that we cannot continue to depend on archaic systems and structures. We instead need to invest in our infrastructure and invest in our efficiency in order to effectively move into the unavoidable future.
I implore the leadership of Johannesburg to undertake the foreseeable future with great tenacity and willingness to address the challenges of the people that inhabit the city, and to mitigate the issues that caused the explosion in the first place.
The residents who live in and around Bree Street have experienced a momentous trauma, and it is their constitutional right to proper systems of support during this time. There will not only be a deep emotional ramification left over from this incident, but also a financial burden from the immense structural impact.
My hope is that the leadership of Johannesburg will provide all of the resources and support systems necessary in order to support the many families that have been indefinitely impacted as a result of this explosion. Explosions are dire events, with a crippling aftermath, but no resident of this nation deserves to pay for a disaster that they had no control over.
Although the reality is that many of the victims of this explosion will not have the luxury of a healing period and will need to return to their daily lives almost immediately despite this dreadful experience, there are sectors of support and organisations that will be available to them, that provide mental health support, educational and financial aid support systems.
Social support systems such as churches, sports clubs and community centres are key to recovery following an incident of this magnitude. Engaging in relaxation rituals, a proper routine, and an optimistic outlook is key to ensuring stability, self-reliance and ensuring diligence in your daily life.
The survivors of past tragedies are proof that difficulties are temporary, and that when resilient, survivors can and do go on to live fruitful, fulfilling lives.
* Tswelopele Makoe is a Gender Activist and an MA Ethics student at UWC, affiliated with the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice. The views expressed are her own.