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The businesses operating in and around the sight of the Bree Street explosion in the Johannesburg CBD are seeing few customers coming through their doors, while others are not operating because the roads are blocked, and customers fear for their safety.

This has severely impacted businesses, putting jobs on the line. This is because it has been nearly two months since this incident occurred, and there are no effective solutions.

Recently, delegates from the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) Human Settlements Committee and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) conducted an oversight inspection at the site of the explosion. Officials from the City of Joburg informed them it would take at least two years to conduct the necessary repairs. However, it might take longer because the underlying cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.

The extent of the damage is unclear because the underground pipes are still open, and there is still a gas leak.

Johannesburg is fast becoming the slum city of Africa rather than a first-class African city. The failure to rapidly deal with infrastructure deficits will only further accelerate the city’s decline.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will submit questions in the GPL to the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mzi Khumalo, to determine what assistance the Gauteng Provincial Government is offering to the City of Johannesburg to speed up the repair process of Bree Street and to contain the gas leak.

Issued by Mervyn Cirota MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Human Settlements