Gas leak not the only problem faced by Boksburg's Angelo squatter camp

Angelo informal settlement in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, where a deadly overnight gas leak claimed the lives of 17 people, has been beset with life-threatening challenges for a long time.

On Thursday Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi confirmed that one more person had died, increasing the death toll from the nitrate oxide leak to 17.

According to EMS, a gas cylinder used by zama-zamas who operate from a shack in the informal settlement is believed to have caused the leak.

Lesufi, during his briefing, revealed that the latest victim died in the early hours of Thursday morning. “Those that are with the hospital are 11, that’s the figures I got on Thursday morning,” he said.

The premier said the area had since been declared safe.

However, the lives of residents of Angelo and surrounding areas have not been secure for some time.

Earlier this year, when Sowetan visited Angelo informal settlement, residents told us of the threat posed to their lives by giant sinkholes that had appeared in the area.

Angelo consists of shacks, mobile toilets and narrow streets with sewage spillages running into people’s yards. The area does not have street lighting.

For almost three years residents have had to dodge a large sinkhole next to their shacks.

Speaking on the plight of the residence in February, Duduzile Ndlela told Sowetan she had been living at the settlement for 26 years. She said she needed to use her cellphone to avoid falling into the sinkhole located in the middle of the settlement.

“We are struggling to sleep at night because we hear funny sounds coming from the hole. This hole is close to my shack and I am scared it might extend to my home and sink it,’’ said Ndlela.

According to Ndlela, the sinkhole appeared in December 2020 and has been growing ever since.

Ndlela’s neighbour, Kortman Masilela, 75, who has been blind for two years, said he stayed in his yard most of the time for fear of falling into the sinkhole. “If I want to buy something from the shops I ask my neighbours to help me. I do not want to gamble with my life,” he said.

Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko is expected to conduct an oversight visit to Tambo Memorial Hospital, where the victims of the gas leak are being treated.