STATEMENT FROM ALDERMAN KHETHA SHANDU WHIP OF COUNCIL FOR THE CITY OF EKURHULENI FOLLOWING THE TRAGIC TRUCK EXPLOSION IN BOKSBURG

As the Whip of Council, the Boksburg tragedy is a difficult situation to comprehend. I attended family visits with the Executive Mayor and the wound is much deeper than what is being shown on television. I never imagined that something of this magnitude and sorrow would occur within our City.

It has been extremely painful to hear stories of young children who perished in the blast, families who lost their breadwinners, parents who lost their children and the thought of one family that almost entirely wiped out as they lost multiple family members in the tragedy.

It does not matter how you look at it, I cannot comprehend how people will move on from such a tragedy. I have personally conveyed comforting words to the various families, and I do not believe for once that it will change the situation or enable them to understand what has befallen them. However, I do hope that one day they will be able to finally move on. As someone who has recently lost a loved one, I can understand the pain that they are experiencing right now.

To the ones that are still in hospital fighting for their lives, I would like to wish them a speedy recovery. This goes to the firefighters who risk their lives everyday, the staff at the OR.Tambo Memorial Hospital and the patients in general – Godspeed.

I would like to extend my deepest condolences to all those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy.

Furthermore, I would like to extend my gratitude to the people who responded swiftly to the disaster, namely the DEMS team, the Ward Councillors, and Councillors within the area, the NPO’s, the Chaplins, the Health and Social Department (who have been continuously providing trauma counselling to the families among other interventions), the Premier, the MECs as well as the Executive Mayor of the City. It is my sincere hope that all the interventions that have been made thus far will yield much-needed relief.