Boksburg tanker explosion: bereaved families fear they will never know the full truth

Family members of the 12 employees, including 11 nurses, of Tambo Memorial Hospital who died in the Boksburg tanker explosion on Christmas Eve say the trucking company and everyone who might have been involved in the tragedy should be held to account.

The families were speaking yesterday at the Boksburg Civic Centre where the Gauteng department of health held a memorial service for the nurses who died.

They believe the police, truck driver, trucking company and anyone else who might have prevented the loss of life of the 37 people who died due to the explosion should be held accountable.

Sibusiso Xaba’s sister died on 1 January at Milpark Hospital after suffering serious burns.

“Her burns were deep but her situation was better compared to others,” Xaba said.

‘We don’t know the truth’

He said the only thing which could bring closure to the families of those who had lost their lives was to be told the truth of what happened and for those responsible to be fully held to account.

“We hear through the media the driver followed all protocols, that there was no marking on the bridge, but I don’t believe we know the truth,” he said.

“I just need to see who owns this truck company because sometimes if there’s a politician involved, everything will just disappear and we will never know what happened.

“I want to know if there were any monitoring systems for the company, was the driver on the correct route, how often they consult with the monitoring system and did they observe the height restrictions.”

ALSO READ: Joburg firm helps families file class action law suit over Boksburg explosion

Xaba said despite the rumours that the driver followed all the protocols to avoid the incident, he still felt the driver could have done more.

“I have never been a truck driver but I know there are height restrictions.

“I would like to know if they followed the height restrictions.”

Yesterday, RH Lawyers Incorporated announced its intention to institute legal action against various stakeholders possibly liable for the explosion.

Stakeholders which may face legal proceedings include the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality, the South African Police Service and firefighting department, as well as other persons who may be liable in law for civil damages arising from the explosion.

In regards to the law firm which intends to bring a class action lawsuit, Xaba said they had not received any communication from the law firm.

“No contact has happened and in terms of the investigations, the government has not told us anything.”

Noah Majatladi, who lost his wife, said he has no words to describe how he felt about her death.

ALSO READ: Boksburg tanker explosion death toll rises to 37

Majatladi said he was not yet ready to speak about the actions of the driver but he would give the investigations a chance.

“If we are not [notified], we will pursue other avenues but for now, I do not want to judge anyone,” said Majatladi.

He said despite the government saying they would bury everyone who lost their lives, he said he buried his wife with money from his own pocket.

“They promised to refund me but it was hard. We are not from here, we are from Limpopo, so I had to organise the funeral to be held there,” he said.

Massacre

One of the nurses from the hospital, Thembi Champala, said she was called in to assist on the day of the incident.

Champala described the scene as something she had only seen in a movie.

“It was similar to a massacre, it was very bad,” Champala said.

She said there were mixed emotions among staff members following the tragedy.

“They were our colleagues, friends and we shared a lot of things, but there are a lot of mixed emotions. We are taking it day by day,” she said.

‘Somebody must take responsibility’

Gauteng MEC for health and wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the company needed to take full responsibility for the tragedy.

“As a truck company, you know the height of your truck, the height of the load. Once your truck reaches a certain level, there are specific roads you cannot use,” said Nkomo-Ralehoko.

RELATED: Lessons from Boksburg blast not heeded

She said she did not want to blame the municipality for the lack of visibility on the signage about the height of the bridge because it was not designed for trucks.

“Once there’s an accident, it is obvious that some recklessness was done and somebody must take responsibility,” she said.

Even though the driver was released due to a lack of evidence, she believes he should account for the accident.

– lungam@citizen.co.za