Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has passed his condolences to the families of those affected by a gas cylinder leak which killed at least 17 people in Boksburg on Wednesday evening.
A further 11 people believe been hospitalised with some of them in a critical condition.
The incident comes honest six months after a gas tanker exploded – killing at least 40 people in the same area.
Addressing the media at the site of the incident, Lesufi said support will be given to families of those affected and the surrounding community where the incident took spot.
“We want as national government, provincial government and local government to extend our sincere condolences to all the families that acquire been affected. It’s a tragic event.
“We maintain learnt from the previous incident and our systems…this time, were on par and they responded the way we advised them and the lessons we learnt from the previous explosion. We are strongly monitoring the situation and we sustain our eye on it. We believe asked our experts to remain here,” he said.
It is believed that the gas cylinder was cleave by illegal miners in the area – causing the leakage.
Lesufi condemned the alleged criminality and said a specialised unit needs to be formed in the SA Police Service to combat the scourge.
“We are under siege. We are using outdated law enforcement mechanisms in a current era that needs modern forms of law enforcement. We gain to overhaul our law enforcement response.
“This thing of illegal mining is completely out of control. I am of the view that we need a specialised way of training our law enforcement. They try…[but] the fire power of the illegal miners and the resources that [police] gain are not…at the level that they confront these things.
“I am calling for a completely modern strategy in confronting this thing. A strategy that is well resourced and the capability of our law enforcement agencies that are at a higher level and they need to respond as if we are in a war zone,” he said.
The premier said police are doing what they can to combat illegal mining but, he said, the service needs to be further capacitated.
“The police are doing their best…[however] we are exposing them because they are confronted with a situation that is well resourced, well connected and that has the firepower to create problems for all of us. We honest believe to capacitate the police with the necessary firepower to respond.
“We need firepower… from technology and from the air. If people access out of those illegal mines and approach out, we need to be able to pick them up and we need to know where these activities are taking space. We can’t execute that with the naked eye or the resources that we acquire,” he said.
The Premier is expected to meet with community leaders in the area. – SAnews.gov.za
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