Johannesburg - The South African Communist Party (SACP) in Gauteng has called for an urgent, thorough, and full-scale investigation following the gas tanker explosion in Boksburg.
The tragic incident claimed at 18 lives, including nine healthcare professionals, and left scores injured and many more with permanent scars.
The Gauteng SACP conveyed its sympathies to the families who lost their loved ones.
"We also wish those who sustained injuries a speedy recovery. However, it is difficult not to be infuriated by this man-made disaster, driven by nothing but the insatiable appetite to amass profit at the expense of innocent lives. While we welcome the commitment by the authorities to conduct a full-scale investigation into the explosion, the SACP calls for a deeper, thorough, and systemic investigation," it said.
The party said it was clear this was a disaster waiting to happen.
"While we appreciate the history of our economic trajectory that is based on exporting mineral resources and the reliance on road freight transport on one of the world’s largest road networks, this presents risks to ordinary citizens who must travel side by side, simultaneously and immediately, with hazardous material on public roads," the SACP in Gauteng said.
It called for the investigation to include the role of the directors of the company involved.
"While we believe that it is not enough to arrest the driver and apportion all the blame to him, the employer should also shoulder some of the blame as this incident was caused by its exploitation practices against the workers.
“ It is alleged in this case that a single driver was expected to make a lengthy trip from Richards Bay to Botswana with no assistance; we believe this must be investigated. This, in our view, pits humans against natural elements that inevitably lead to such tragic incidents," the SACP said.
The party added that when such unfortunate incidents occur, workers were left alone and hung out to dry in public as culprits while the actual culprits enjoyed expensive paid holidays with their families through the toil and sweat of the workers.
"We demand that those who made business decisions including the routes that such trucks should take, be investigated and made to answer. In this context, we call on the investigation to zoom in on those directors of this company who made such decisions. The entire business operation in transporting such hazardous material must also be scrutinised," the party said.
"Furthermore, we call on our democratic government to start a process of removing the transportation of hazardous material from our public (national, provincial, and municipal) roads and into rail transport. We appreciate the pressure that this puts on Transnet. Apart from inevitable accidents, the damage to our ailing road network system, as witnessed in the state of the rapid deterioration of the road infrastructure, has a huge impact on the economy and thus reverses the gains of our democratic project."
The Star