“The gas smell was still strong. I wet a cloth, entered the shack, and discovered that my children and their children had passed away.”
These were the words of Judith Manyisa, who’s 19-year-old son, her 20-year-old daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren were among the 17 victims who died after inhaling nitrate oxide gas at the Angelo Informal Settlement in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.
The deaths are believed to be linked to illegal mining.
Authorities confirmed that 11 people were admitted to the hospital, the youngest being 2 months old, and that one was in a critical condition.
Manyisa said she was called to the scene by neighbours since she lived nearby.
“Now I need assistance so that I can bury my children in Mozambique,” said Manyisa.
She said they had noticed that the occupants from across the yard were illegal miners last year, but the people who lived there before were not involved in any illegal activities.
“We don’t want zama-zamas. Now look, our families have died, and as we speak I no longer have a child. My son was my everything; he was like my mother or my husband, he took care of us, he was a breadwinner,” she said.
Fernando Chiure said he was lucky to be alive; he was the only one present who survived, and he watched his brothers and sisters perish in front of his eyes.
He said that of the seven people who died in the yard, four were family members.
“As you know, it gets cold in the evening. We made a fire and were sitting outside with one of my brothers. All of a sudden, we smelled a scent that was unusual, as if it were gas. My brother’s son went out to spill water he used after bathing; he dropped and died on the spot.
“The smell was very strong. My brother and I tried to lift his son, but he too fell down and died,” said Chiure.
Illegal mining has brought enormous and devastating challenges to maintaining the rule of law in Gauteng, according to the provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety, which has called for the total eradication of illegal mining, which amounts to economic sabotage.
Visiting the scene on Thursday, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the police needed to fight power with power.
Lesufi said the community had called for the army to fight illegal mining in the informal settlement.
“The community is calling for an army; we have called for the army at one stage as a province. But the process of deploying the army is highly regulated.
This is the activity that was taking place #BoksburgGasLeak pic.twitter.com/lxZjkjkr2y
The president must consult a gazette and participate in many processes involving Parliament and legislatures. Even when they are deployed, they need to give support to the SAPS. We really feel that we need a combination of many things,” said Lesufi.
He added: “The call for the army is correct; we support that. I really believe we need to strengthen the firepower of our police force. In certain instances, the police must be given the necessary powers to protect society and not be constrained by certain limitations within our legislation.”
Asked if the police had the power to fight back against illegal miners, Gauteng Police Commissioner Elias Mawela said the SAPS was an arm of the state and was fully resourced.
“I am referring to different types of firearms and special units that can engage whoever they want to engage.
“Normally, when we operate here, it is rare to find us face to face engaging with the zama-zamas.
“So we can’t say that because if you have never seen us fighting in a battleground with them, then you assume that we are not fully equipped to deal with those ones,” Mawela said.
Associate Professor in the School of Chemistry at Wits University, Andrew Swarts, said the cause of a toxic gas leak was often human error.
“For example, not closing the cylinder properly coupled with poor ventilation.
“Without knowing the specifics I cannot comment with any authority.
Autopsies of the deceased would provide key insights,” he said.
Cape Times