Boksburg blast: Health workers honoured with a memorial wall

More than 40 people were killed, and dozens of others injured, when a gas tanker became lodged under a low-lying bridge and subsequently exploded.

While the driver of the tanker was taken into custody soon after the incident, he was released shortly thereafter, and no one has since been charged or held to account for the tragedy.

Friends, family and colleagues of the 12 Tambo Memorial Hospital workers who were killed in the blast gathered in their memory - against the backdrop of heavy machinery working on the nearby bridge - where the tanker carrying LP gas became trapped.

Delivering the keynote address, Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the wall should serve as a memory of their selfless commitment and contribution to healthcare.

“It stands as a physical embodiment of their memories, a place where we can come and remember and reflect. This wall is not just a structure of stone and names, it’s a symbol of the lives that touched us.”

The MEC described the tragedy as one of the darkest moments in the history of the department.

“Last year’s disaster cast a shadow over what should have been a festive season, turning our Christmas black as we paused to mourn and lay our loved ones to rest,” she said. 

Her sentiments were echoed by the hospital’s nursing services manager Mavis Molekane: “Our beloved departed colleagues sacrificed so much of their lives and family time in serving the community. This wall of remembrance, as it evokes those emotions [of loss], it is also soothing.”

NEARLY R4BN SET ASIDE FOR REFURBISHMENT

The unveiling took place against the backdrop of the cacophony of heavy machinery and tools working to repair the damaged bridge.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Gauteng Health head of Department Lesiba Molatana told the those attending the unveiling that funds had been set aside to revamp the facility, which first opened its doors in 1905.

“The director-general for health, who could not be here at this time, has committed that the national Department of Health has made resources available to revamp this hospital, at the tune of close to R4 billion."

In January, MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko said structural repairs to the hospital’s emergency, radiology, ante-natal departments, and other parts of the hospital that were affected by the explosion cost an estimated R3.3 million.

This was after Infrastructure development MEC Lebogang Maile had earlier estimated repair costs at approximately R18 million.

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