Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has praised the team of rapid response and emergency services, as well as the technical team of experts led by city manager Floyd Brink for the work they have done since the CBD explosion, which has now been revealed to have been caused by methane gas.
Brink has been at the centre of the city’s communications strategy since the methane fueled explosion sent minibus taxis airborne about a fortnight ago.
At least one person died.
Gwamanda said the teams were “exceptional” in their response since the day of the explosion.
“They displayed great technical capability and preparedness to respond to emergencies and disasters. As a City we are grateful to the men and women who undertook this task and who did so excellently. Our experts and team have expressed to us that the manner in which we responded was in line with international standards and protocols,” said Gwamanda.
Earlier, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Gwamanda himself had taken the lead in communicating about the disaster, but this was quickly changed, when Brink, Johan Lagrange, a civil engineer and a consultant for the City of Johannesburg, and senior officials from units such as City Power and Joburg Water, took the lead in communicating with the city’s over five million residents.
“In this case, the city manager and the technical team have indeed displayed the best of Johannesburg and have proved that the City is stable and functional. The city manager will share the report that we have now received and some of the technical details emerging from the report,” said Gwamanda.
Gwamanda, who was elected mayor in May after replacing his Al Jama-ah Thapelo Amad in a coalition backed by the ANC, EFF, Cope, and the PA, said the city was in safe hands with capable officials.
“In my State of the City address, I assured residents that the seeming political instability in the City at the time should not be a cause of great concern as our biggest asset was having a functional and competent administration,” he said.
Gwamanda has thanked the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), the province and national government for support after the explosion.
He said the professional services team led by Brink included highly experienced engineers, gas specialists, technologists, and academics who have worked tirelessly to ensure that we conduct a rigorous investigation into the possible causes of the explosion.
“The team has also been inundated with a number of enquiries from cities and engineers across the globe who follow closely such incidents. There is international interest to understand the causes of the explosion and to build knowledge on such as they occur across the globe. This has placed us under pressure to ensure that the team that investigates is the best in the space and that the outcomes of our investigation are credible and backed by science and evidence,” he said.
Gwamanda said Brink had been tasked with providing assurance that such an incident would not occur again.
Brink confirmed the explosion was caused by methane gas, and said about R178 million, which could rise, was required to repair the road, reconstruct the tunnel and fix other damaged infrastructure.
The city’s tunnel design would also be upgraded based on current international codes for tunnels to reduce the risk and severity of explosions, said Brink.
Said Gwamanda: “The creation of a smart city is a priority of the current administration and the mandate to the city manager and team is that the rebuild and rehabilitation of Bree (Lillian Ngoyi) Street must ensure that going forward we set the standard for the management of underground infrastructure and roads.
“We have also had positive engagements with a variety of affected stakeholders including property owners along Lillian Ngoyi Street.
“Our intention is to ensure that as we push to rehabilitate and rebuild, we do so in a transparent and inclusive manner,” he said.
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