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. Bystanders say the area is reminiscent of the Covid-19 lockdown with businesses closed and very little activity in Bree Street.

An eyewitness told Bedford and Edenvale News that he was with friends at a nearby taxi rank when he heard the explosion.

Gladwell (surname unknown) says at first, he thought it was taxi violence or a building that collapsed. When he got to the scene, he saw the chaos with many people injured.

He assisted to free people trapped in taxis and get the injured to safety.

He says it took first responders a long time to reach the scene because of congested roads during rush hour and the traffic jam caused by the Bree Street collapse.

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

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

Explosion on Bree Str, JHB CBD. Moment of the explosion. pic.twitter.com/UomI9IHagY

— SCP SECURITY (@SCP_SECURITY) July 20, 2023

Affected area

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.

Roles and responsibilities

• Johannesburg Roads Agency officials are responsible for traffic diversion, signal designs and barriers to ensure the city remains accessible while protecting the affected area.
• Police are managing the public to ensure their safety.
• The Department of Human Settlements is identifying the homeless affected by the explosion as well as those evacuated last night.
• Provincial and local governments are working to minimise the impact of the blast on economic activity in the city and its workforce.
• Structural engineers are on the scene to determine damages and the structural integrity of buildings.

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

Gas still suspected to be responsible for explosion

• Egoli Gas, Sasol and other relevant institutions are assisting to determine the cause of the explosion.
• Johannesburg Water and environmental health officials are also assisting to help determine where the gas leak is coming from and to help determine the course of action.
• City Power has shut down the Bree substation for safety. Braamfontein and Johnsware substations were also shut down last night but have since been switched on again.

“Egoli Gas continues to assess 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 Lesufi.

Egoli Gas, in a statement issued last night, said neither their 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 insulating 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 in the road servitudes on the sides of the roads,” Egoli Gas stated.

“Egoli Gas insists its pipeline is not responsible. It is common knowledge that there is a smell of gas in the city. They remain our main focus,” Lesufi said.

Egoli Gas pipelines in the area

• A blue line low-pressure 80mm steel pipe that cuts across Bree and Eloff streets.
• A 355mm high-density PP pipe that goes through Bree Street. This is also a low-pressure pipe.
• A 355mm high-density PP pipe that is a high-pressure pipe that runs at 22kPa 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.

One dead, many injured

• The body of an unidentified man was found under a car at the scene of the explosion.
• The number of people injured stands at 48, of which 12 remain in hospital.
• A total of 34 vehicles were damaged of which the majority are taxis.

Challenges after the explosion

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.

“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.