Fuzile Jwara
In the past month, Gauteng has been the site of three explosions of sorts.
The Johannesburg CBD explosion was essentially a prelude of a frantic 24 hours, where two other locations were beset with their own explosions.
The biggest concern is not only the causes of these occurrences, but the contingency plans in the event of such disaster.
Therefore, I argue that there is a need for clear and concise safety regulations regarding environmental and ecological damage.
Firstly, it is important to emphasise that the Gauteng province comprises of the mining industry as the foundation of the economy. As such, most parts of the province are in close proximity to various industries, such as factories.
Evidently, there is always a possibility that any malfunction of infrastructure could affect the general population. Although the explosions may not have led to a high count of deaths, it is rather alarming that should any such event occur, there is no clear framework on how the province or even the local government administrations could tackle such issues.
My first concern is on the provisions that stipulate course of action for accountability.
On a Wednesday afternoon (July 19, 2023), there was an explosion on one of the busiest areas of the Johannesburg CBD, and we are yet to receive any indication of any possible causes for the disaster, in which one person died and several others were injured.
This lack of urgent feedback leaves little surety as to how we can negate similar challenges in the future.
As of today, we are still awaiting the causes of the hydrogen explosions in Kempton Park and Braamfischerville, Soweto.
It may seem uninteresting and insignificant, but it is within the interest of the people to know the extent and cost of the damage as it is probably taxpayers money that will be allocated to repair the affected areas.
This brings about the second point we are not even sure what measures can be taken should the explosions be found to have been caused by negligence of an individual or individuals.
Judging by the cold case of the Boksburg Christmas Eve explosion, it is very likely that negligence and incompetence will not be punished.
This directly affects citizens, considering that it is public money that has to cover the damages.
What we do know so far is that Egoli Gas has distanced itself from any wrongdoing, before any official report had even been released on the causes of the explosions. Now, my question is, what happens if the explosion was caused by a gas pipeline that was faulty?
Does the City of Johannesburg take the matter up with the company involved or do they shift the bill onto residents, thereby choosing private capital above the residents?
What vexes me even further is the silence from the local administrations on the way forward, and a transparent plan to reassure residents that such incidents will not be an everyday occurrence, and that safety measures will be improved to avoid any such incidents in the future.
However, not even the provincial government appears to have a contingency action plan.
If such, could occur in the middle of Johannesburg during peak time, how do we guarantee that we minimise such danger throughout the province? Hence, I am very critical of the local administrations and the provincial government in this regard.
At this point, we could be in danger, and no one would be aware.
As evident in the recent cholera outbreak in this very province and the tardy response of the metro admin and subsequently the provincial government.
It would be fair to say that I may be too critical of the local government.
However, as the explosion in Boksburg illustrated, small errors can lead to much bigger issues and losses of life if left unattended. Therefore, we cannot play Russian roulette with people’s lives. These recent events ought to give local government the opportunity to pass safety regulations and (put in place) contingency plans to tackle such issues going forward.
It is also high time that the provincial government acts accordingly in addressing disasters, whether it is dealing with cholera outbreaks or unexpected incidents.
A province built on the power of industry should possess innovative ideas to address the complexities of industrial disasters.
The local and provincial governments should protect the people who are its constituents. The people deserve to know what happened and what will be done about it.
Perhaps this is an opportunity for administrative officials to re-evaluate the response to crises. The people deserve surety, capital and political rhetoric do not amount to the well-being of the people.
Jwara is an MA in Sociology Candidate at the University of Johannesburg.
Cape Times