Joburg explosion victim 'still in much pain'

Azwindini Davhula, 44, suffered fractured ribs and injured her hip and right hand when the taxi she was travelling in flew up following underground explosion at Bree Street on Wednesday. 

The mother of three, who is a City Power security guard at a depot in Braamfontein, was sitting on the front seat of the taxi when it suddenly went up into the air from the force of the explosion and landed back on its wheels on the cracked tarmac. 

“I just heard a loud bang and then I got hit by something in the upper body. My body was squashed. I don’t remember much of what happened next, but I saw other passengers trying to run out of the taxi. I felt dizzy, I don’t even remember how I managed to get out of the wreck. I’m still shaking but I’m happy to be alive,” said Davhula from Freedom Park, south of Joburg.

She said she was taken to Dr SK Matseke Memorial Hospital in Soweto around 8pm, where she was treated and admitted overnight. 

“I still can’t walk properly. I’m taking pain medication and it will take a while for me to get back to work,” said Davhula, who has been working for the company for four years.

The explosion, which caused fissures on the roads near the Bree Street taxi rank, occurred around 5pm on Wednesday when most people were getting ready to go home.

The explosion has claimed one life, leaving almost 50 people injured. This was confirmed by Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi during a media briefing yesterday morning.