Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC Jacob Mamabolo sent a message of condolences to the families of the deceased people who died when the old power station collapsed on them. The people were allegedly stealing metal. MEC Mamabolo today visited the incident site at the old power station in Soweto.
The Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC), which is under COGTA, and the Johannesburg EMS teams have been working around the clock to rescue the victims.
MEC Mamabolo mentioned that the rescue teams are being assisted by Emergency Management Services teams from Ekurhuleni Metro and West Rand District. He also mentioned that they are awaiting additional urban search and rescue equipment from the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) to assist in verifying if there are more bodies trapped.
“We applaud the rescue teams who are working tirelessly to recover the bodies. There are so far two dead bodies found, one has just been removed whilst other is still trapped in the rubble and the team is working hard to get him out,” the MEC said.
He appreciated the working relationship of all three spheres of government and mentioned that they will compile a report to pave a way forward. “We do not want to make speculations.
We will first gather facts especially on the issue of what caused the collapse of the building and how going forward we can try to avoid such disasters,” MEC Mamabolo mentioned. Five people were admitted to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital with injuries.
MEC highlighted that they will monitor the situation until all the deceased are recovered from the collapsed building. “The rescue teams are confident that they are very close and will report activities as and when they happen,” MEC Mamabolo concluded.
MEC Mamabolo further lambasted people and businesses that benefitted from the sale of stolen metal. “We have realised that there is a market to this illegal act and we feel it needs a holistic approach in dealing with it,” the MEC said further adding that “these selfish and illegal businesses only end up in unnecessary deaths”.
For more information contact:
Motsamai Motlhaolwa
Cell: 079 897 2240
