Labour department to provide financial relief to workers affected by Boksburg gas blast

The department of employment & labour will assist employees affected by the gas tanker explosion in Boksburg, Gauteng.

Employment & labour minister Thulas Nxesi has expressed his grief at the loss of lives, as well as injuries suffered by workers, including bystanders.

“We will ensure the workers that lost their lives and got injured, as well as their families, are assisted where applicable through the department's entities — the Compensation Fund (CF) as well as the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) services as prescribed by both the Compensation for Occupational Injuries & Diseases Act (Coida) and Unemployment Insurance Act (UIF) Act respectively,” Nxesi said.

Eighteen people were killed, including a 10-year-old boy, and scores were injured, including firefighters, in the explosion which occurred when the gas tanker became wedged under a bridge and caught fire on Saturday morning.

“My heart is heavy due to the loss of lives, injuries suffered by workers as well as bystanders, when the gas tanker exploded in Boksburg and damaged the Tambo Memorial Hospital. It is regrettable that a number of people including patients and staff members suffered injuries and some lost their lives,” Nxesi said.

According to the department, Coida provides for compensation for disablement caused by occupational injuries or diseases sustained or contracted by employees in the course of their employment, or for death resulting from such injuries or diseases.

The ministry's spokesperson Sabelo Mali said the UIF provides for the payment of benefits to certain employees who become unemployed or are unable to work because of maternity, adoption and parental leave, or illness. It also provides relief to dependants of a deceased contributor.

Mali said in terms of these acts employers must register with the respective commissioners.

“Unless exempted from assessment, especially in the case of Coida, a transgressor is liable to a fine or to imprisonment, or to both a fine and imprisonment.”

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness at the loss of life in the explosion and wished the injured victims a speedy and full recovery.

“The nation’s hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating incident. Such events take on greater sadness and tragedy when they occur at this time of year, when all of us pray for safety and look forward to the togetherness and comfort of extended time with family and friends,” he said.

“In this instance, the loss of life is rendered more intense because some of the victims were hospital patients, hospital staff and children, while firefighters are counted among the injured.”

The government is taking all necessary actions to provide relief to those affected, Ramaphosa said.

“While these interventions bring us hope and light in our darkest hour, we must always live by the resolve to prevent such catastrophe from taking place in the first place.

“While we await the outcome of investigations into this tragedy, this incident does, like so many others, call on all of us to show due care and to avoid risk when we are out on our roads which we share as a public amenity.”

The tanker driver has been “charged with multiple counts of culpable homicide, negligent causing of an explosion resulting in death and malicious damage to property”. He will appear before the Boksburg magistrate's court on Wednesday.

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