WATCH: Joburg CBD Explosion – what we know so far

Johannesburg CBD road closures will remain in place until the cause of yesterday’s explosion has been confirmed.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, in providing an update this morning on the explosion, said the explosion is believed to have been caused by a gas line on Lilian Ngoyi Street, better known as Bree Street.

Update: WATCH: Joburg CBD explosion – evacuated area reminiscent of lockdown

The SAPS received the first report about an explosion at 17:45.

The affected area stretches from Bree to Loveday streets on the western side of the city, to Claim Street on the eastern side, Rahima Moosa on the south side and Plein Street, on the north side of the city.
“A portion of Rissik Street was also affected. We received reports of damages to property, buildings and injuries to people,” said Lesufi.

Watch:

Also read: WATCH: Explosion on Bree Street possibly linked to gas line

Roles and responsibilities
He said Joburg Roads officials are responsible for traffic diversion, signal designs and barriers to ensure the city remains accessible while protecting the affected area.

“The SAPS is managing the movement of the public to ensure safety. The Department of Human Settlement is in the process of identifying the homeless affected by the explosion and those evacuated last night.

“We identified the corner of Joubert Street to house those needing a place to stay. Unfortunately, the majority of people fled the area and the Department of Human Settlement is in the process of tracking those people.”

Road closures:

Suspicions
“Because we suspect gas, we brought in relevant institutions that deal with gas including Egoli Gas and Sasol to assist in determining the cause and provide expertise.

“City Power is also advising us and the entity already decided to shut down the Bree substation.”
Last night it was reported that three substations – Bree, Braamfontein and Johnware – were shut down.
Only Bree remains off.

“Egoli Gas continues to asses and rehabilitate its pipeline where necessary. Sasol also has pipelines, but these are located on the outer boundaries of the area of impact. We brought Sasol in for additional guidance and advice where necessary,” said Lesufu.

He said Joburg Water and the environment health officials are helping to determine where the gas is coming from and what action needs to be taken.
“Egoli Gas insists its pipeline is not responsible. It is common knowledge that there is a smell of gas in the city.

Watch:

“Egoli Gas remains our main focus. We requested them to identify all their pipes, which they have. We now know Egoli Gas has a blue line of 80mm steel pipe that cut across Bree and Eloff streets, but were told this is a low-pressure pipe.

“There is also a 355mm high-density PP pipe that goes through Bree and we were advised that this is also a low-pressure pipe. There is a 355mm high-density PP pipe that is a high-pressure pipe that runs at 22kPa and is situated between two street blocks, north and east to west from the area of impact. We will hand over the information regarding their pipelines to the experts to determine the way forward,” said Lesufi.

“Provincial and local governments are working hard to minimise the impact of the blast on the economic activity of the city and its workforce. “Structural engineers are also on scene to determine damages and structural integrity of buildings,” said Lesufi.

Death
The body of an unidentified man was found under a car at the corner of Bree and Joburg streets.
The number of people injured stands at 48, of which 12 remain in hospital.
Lesufi said 34 vehicles were damaged of which the majority were taxis. Road closures and traffic diversion remain a challenge.

“We had to close off some of the city’s major roads, which includes Bree Street. This road has high volumes of traffic, several taxi ranks and numerous drop-off points.
“People have already indicated their frustration with restricted movement. Roads will remain closed until the cause of the explosion has been identified.”

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the inner city is supplied from Bree substation, which is a few metres from the epicentre of the explosion and is suspected to have been affected.
“The underground tunnels carrying City Power cables through Bree Street have been damaged during the cave-in.

Watch:

“The team continues with the assessments of the extent of the damage to the electricity infrastructure. We are hoping to access some of the surface and underground areas that we couldn’t access last night due to the risks involved,” said Mangena.

He reported large volumes of water gushing underground. This has started to flood the Johnware substation, which is about 4km towards Newtown.

“Power supply to the businesses and residents in the inner city will remain affected until an assessment is done and a go-ahead is given by emergency services to test and switch on,” said Mangena.

Also read: Bree Street Explosion: 3 substations remain off due to suspected gas leak

Egoli Gas, in a statement issued last night, said neither the Egoli Gas network nor any gas pipeline leak was the cause of the explosion.
“Our network experienced no pressure loss, which indicates that the gas pipelines are intact. Our customers in the area continue to receive gas,” the statement reads.

Egoli Gas teams are isolating pipes to allow emergency services to continue their work in a secure environment. The damage to the road could have affected smaller lines which are being inspected.

“Our gas pipelines operate at low pressure and it is unlikely to have caused the explosion. Initial reports have shown the collapse in the road to be mainly in the centre. Our gas pipelines are located in the road servitudes on the sides of the roads,” Egoli Gas stated.

Watch: Joburg CBD Explosion: Eyewitness talks about moments after the explosion