Minibus taxi owners whose vehicles were damaged during the Bree Street gas explosion in the Johannesburg CBD are asking for compensation for both repairs and lost income.
On Wednesday afternoon, a large explosion ripped through Bree and Rissik streets, damaging at least 23 vehicles, most of which were taxis.
The cause of the explosion is still unknown, however, authorities said that the ignition was caused by some form of gas leakage.
Minibus taxi owners in central Johannesburg have lamented the loss of income that the explosion resulted in.
A spokesperson for the Johannesburg Southern Suburbs Taxi Association, Lucky Xaba, said that owners had to pay out of pocket to retrieve their vehicles.
He said that since many of the taxis were badly damaged, they were sitting idle and not making any money.
“Sometimes we can take the cost, sometimes we don’t want to take the cost. If you don’t want to fix your car, who is going to fix your car? You can fix your car while you’re still waiting because if you’re waiting for the government, you know how long they take.”
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said that the provincial government had discussed the issue of compensating people whose assets were damaged during the explosion, however, it’s still too early to make a decision.
-EWN
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