Gauteng prepared for any big emergencies, says Health MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko as she reflects on Boksburg tragedy
41 people killed after a fuel tanker exploded in Boksburg on Christmas eve in 2022.
On 8 December 2023, the Gauteng Department of Health unveiled a wall of remembrance to honour the 11 nurses from the Tambo Memorial Hospital killed by the Boksburg explosion on 24 December 2022. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said that their Medical Operational Centre in Midrand was equipped to handle incidents similar to the Boksburg explosion two years ago.
Reflecting on the tragic incident which took place on Christmas Eve in 2022, Nkomo-Ralehoko said that the department was prepared for accidents of this nature.
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Forty-one people were killed after a fuel tanker exploded.
The nearby Tambo Memorial Hospital suffered some damage.
The MEC said that work was being done to ensure that the hospital was functioning well.
She said that officials had also continued to provide support to the affected families.
"We have never stopped working with those families. There's a continuous engagement with the hospitals, including the NGOs that have been working with us, they are still assisting those families. In terms of the hospital itself, we are busy trying to make sure that it is functioning so well, but it's still well maintained. We are going to build some new wards and rebuild the hospital."