Having spent well over a decade residing in a suburb not far from the scene of the Christmas Eve gas tank explosion that has claimed the lives of at least 27 people, it is hard to fathom what the truck was doing on that tiny street. Or even in that part of town.
The road is relatively narrow and windy, and only takes one to the dilapidated Boksburg train station, the Tambo Memorial Hospital or the mostly impoverished suburb of Plantation.
According to reports, seemingly confirmed by his employers, the 32-year-old driver was transporting the hazardous substance from Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal to Botswana.
Though it is not clear why such a trip would go via the small Boksburg central district, the truck driver’s employers are adamant he largely stayed on the agreed route and only “missed one turn”, which forced him onto the narrow Railway Street where his vehicle got stuck under a bridge, with devastating consequences.
The part of Boksburg this driver was in is sandwiched between the N17 and N12, and has several other big, safer roads and highways, such as the R21, Rondebult and Trichardts roads.
Why then, did he, or whoever planned the route, feel the need to drive through a rundown CBD, some of whose streets are more potholes than tar, is among pressing questions one hoped a speedy police investigation would answer.
But alas, the manner in which the police and prosecuting authority have handled the matter and communicated their decisions has left many with more questions than answers.
One afternoon the police are announcing the driver has been charged with multiple counts of culpable homicide and the date for his court appearance is announced.
Then, a few days later, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says the suspect will not appear in court as there is “no sufficient evidence” against him and he has been released from custody.
It is symptomatic of the peril in which we find ourselves as citizens, especially the poor, as a result of the weakening — and in some instances the complete collapse — of state institutions, agencies and enterprises that are supposed to be at the core of the country’s economic activities
No clarity on whether criminal investigations will continue and, if they do, whether the police will look at the conduct of the driver, his employers and even Ekurhuleni city officials who allegedly didn’t install a warning message about the bridge’s height.
Affected families are confused and frustrated as neither the police nor the NPA have bothered to explain what is going on.
Nearly 30 people dead and the former are showing no sense of urgency or accountability?
What’s new?
Politicians are not missing in action. The tragedy happened in Gauteng, after all, and new premier Panyaza Lesufi is the type of politician one can never accuse of being missing in action.
He is well-meaning, of course, and sounds sincere as he promises his government’s assistance to the bereaved families, injured bystanders and staff and patients of the nearby Tambo Memorial Hospital who were also affected by the blast.
But perhaps out of frustration with the police, he strongly suggests setting up a commission of inquiry into the tragedy. How is that going to help?
With due respect to chief justice Raymond Zondo and others who have sacrificed their time over the years to preside over commissions of inquiry and panel discussions, many do not result in justice being swiftly carried out.
Endless public hearings are often followed by long reports that few among our law-enforcement agencies, it would appear, bother to read, not to mention act on.
Lesufi should therefore abandon the idea.
Instead, he should use his voice as premier to demand a speedy and credible police probe into the explosion is conducted and that prosecutions take place without delay.
The tragedy is not an isolated incident. It is symptomatic of the peril in which we find ourselves as citizens, especially the poor, as a result of the weakening — and in some instances the complete collapse — of state institutions, agencies and enterprises that are supposed to be at the core of the country’s economic activities.
Boksburg is not just about the truck driver and his employers, the Ekurhuleni city council and its inability to enforce the law and bylaws.
It is not just about the police who either can’t do their jobs properly or are poor at communicating with citizens.
It is about the collapse of the public freight rail system under Transnet’s watch which has made South Africa too dependent on private trucking companies — some of whom may be unscrupulous in their chase for maximum profits — for our roads and neighbourhoods to be safe.
If there is one pressing mission this government — and the one that follows in 2024 — must urgently carry out on behalf of citizens, it is to fix the state.
A weak, dysfunctional state is a clear and present danger to us all.
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