Boksburg gas tanker tragedy: Little support for families

December 25 marks a year since Granny Selepe’s daughter, Neo Mokayane (22), succumbed to her injuries from the fatal blast – a day after her son-in-law, Neo’s husband, Ndumiso Mashaba, was killed in the explosion.

This publication visited the mother who reflected on life without her beloved daughter, who left behind two babies – a boy Nyeleti Mashaba (who was three at the time) and a girl Aluta (who was five months old at the time).

Selepe’s daughter, who suffered serious burn wounds following the explosion, died at Far East Rand Hospital a day after the Plantation blast.

On top of grappling to deal with the grief and the trauma of it all, Selepe feels the affected families have been left on their own to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

She bemoaned having to deal with what she described as a lack of support from the government and the truck company, which she said have failed to at least assist her in raising the two orphaned grandchildren.

“I am still angry because these people never cared. Neo left two little children and since January no one from the government or the company has come to ask me: ‘Granny how are you coping with the two babies?’ Even people I thought would come forward never did.

“I never expected a large sum of money to take care of myself, but I needed help with something like baby foods and nappies for the two babies. I even told the lawyer who recently came to speak to me about the incident that I am not after money because it would not bring my daughter back, but these children need support.”

Selepe pointed out that despite inaction by the two aforementioned parties, Parkrand Primary School and a few individuals came to her rescue by donating some of the much-needed basic necessities for the little ones.

“I don’t want to lie, I am still angry at our government and the company involved, but, above all, I want to thank all the good Samaritans who have been supporting me and serving as my pillar of strength through this difficult situation.

“Their support encouraged me to eventually tell myself that with the little I have and their support, my children would survive. And yes, both my grandchildren are healthy; they are growing. The eldest child is now attending crèche, and Parkrand Primary has taken it upon itself to pay for the little boy.”

Recalling the moment before and after the tragedy, Selepe said her daughter left her mother’s place in Comet on a Friday and went to her in-laws in Plantation.

“On the day of the explosion, Neo called me and asked me to tell people in our neighbourhood to avoid the streets near the bridge because there was a truck burning. We checked outside and noticed the smoke.

“We heard people were injured in the blast, and a few minutes later, I called my daughter but both her phone and her husband’s phones were off.

“I thought maybe it was because of poor network coverage and did not suspect that they were among the injured.

“About 30 minutes later, I received a call from paramedics informing me that my daughter was injured and they transported her to Far East Rand Hospital. I was also informed that her husband was also injured and taken to Pholosong Hospital in Tsakane.

“We went to the hospital and found Neo had suffered burn wounds on her hands and face, but looking at her condition, I did not suspect that she would succumb to these injuries. She was able to talk and asked me to take care of the two children while she was still receiving treatment in the hospital.

“Honestly, I thought she had better chances of recovery, but when I called later to check, they told me they took her to ICU because her condition was deteriorating.

“We were planning to visit her on the following day, but before we could leave the house, we received the sad news that Neo was gone. Before that, we went to Pholosong to check on my son-in-law, and while we were there they told us he was gone.”

The family recently visited Neo’s grave to hold a tombstone unveiling ceremony.