Gauteng province has embarked on a project to revamp its disaster management plan, preparing emergency and security personnel for big disasters and managing community members in the vicinity.
One person was killed and at least 48 people were treated for minor to serious injuries after an explosion rocked busy Bree Street in Joburg CBD on Wednesday evening.
Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Mzi Khumalo said the disaster management plan had been found wanting, particularly during the disaster this week.
“We have a disaster management framework, both in the province and also in the municipalities. I am the first one to concede that there are a number of challenges with regards to that. We are not doing very well … we are in most cases found wanting.
“Even on the day in question (Wednesday) when that happened, instead of people evacuating themselves in a particular way, people were curious, going around the area taking pictures and so on,” Khumalo spoke to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
He said the revised disaster management framework is being drafted which will help South Africa’s most populous province to educate community members in dealing with emergency and disaster scenarios.
Khumalo said Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has sought answers regarding the province’s preparedness to deal with disaster situations.
“I must be honest that the answer we provided is that we are not that much ready, and as a result of that, we then put a plan in place that would assist us to be ready.
“We are saying that at the backdrop of discussions on what is happening in Khutsong, the sinkholes, I would be the first one to accept that while a framework is there, while there are disaster management centres in place in our municipalities and in the province, we are not that much ready for disasters that are big,” he said.
The MEC said with the current framework, Gauteng province would have evacuated all the people living in and around Bree Street if engineers had concluded that the structural integrity of the buildings has been compromised.
IOL reported on Thursday that Lesufi admitted that the lack of information concerning the source of the blast is raising questions about the competence of the authorities in charge of the scene.
“The team must give us answers as soon as possible on which systems are affected. If the systems are not affected, we can restore electricity and water services quickly. However, we are stuck because we don't know the cause,” Lesufi had said.
He added: “We cannot have this kind of an explosion and not know why. That alone creates doubts, uncertainty, and questions about the capabilities we possess as a State.”
As investigators work to uncover the cause, Lesufi assured that once it's found, appropriate measures will be taken to support the people affected by the blast.
At the time, Lesufi said 48 people were injured, with 12 remaining in the hospital.
The injured were taken to hospitals including Hillbrow, Mulbarton, Garden City, South Rand, and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
Additionally, 34 vehicles, primarily minibus taxis, were damaged by the explosion.
IOL