Johannesburg - City of Joburg speaker Colleen Makhubele claimed to have been on a walkabout in Lilian Ngoyi Street mere hours prior to the explosion in the Joburg CBD last week.
Makhubele was participating in a walk and prayer session in the city centre at the time with Bishop Stephen Moreo of St Mary’s Anglican Church and other religious leaders.
The explosion resulted in the death of one person and injuries to at least 48 others.
Makhubele revealed this yesterday morning during a prayer session alongside religious leaders and city officials.
“I was here four hours before it happened. I was with the bishop here. We came to do a clean-up, walk around, and pray. In fact, I think I called the bishop two days before the explosion. We wanted to do a walk around and pray; little did we know that the spirit of the Lord had called us to that.
“Had we not done that, God knows the devastation we could have had and the number of lives we could have lost. It (the explosion) made our blood run cold because it could have been me; I was standing just here,” Makhubele said.
As the city continues investigating the real cause of the blast, Makhubele urged residents to respect law enforcement agencies and the officials who have been tasked with manning the scene of the incident.
She said it was important to uphold the rule of law at this crucial time.
“We continue to thank God and call upon wisdom in how we do things within the city, in how we plan, maintain, and ensure that we maintain the rule of law ... Our people need civic education.
“It is very important that we teach them about order, honour and public decency. When law enforcement agencies put up a fence like this, they are doing it as part of precautionary measures to protect us as citizens. We are appealing to people to please respect the rule of law,” she said.
Last week, the city was shaken after a gas leak from underground gas pipelines managed by Egoli Gas, the company responsible for the pipelines, led to an explosion. Since then, speculation has been rife as to the actual cause of the explosion.
The incident left a trail of destruction in its wake.
“We all would agree that at this time, we should be praying for our beloved City of Joburg. We need the intervention, mercy and influence of God in all facets of our society: politically, economically and socially to turn the situation around,” she added.
Yesterday, officials from Egoli Gas were still engaged in exploring and penetrating the ground under Lillian Ngoyi Street after reporting that the work to restore the main road would begin this week.
In a briefing on Friday, city manager Floyd Brink confirmed that the explosion was caused by gas.
“By Monday, we anticipate that all manholes will be safe to open, including welded manholes, once the ventilation is concluded and the gas has been successfully extracted into the atmosphere,” Brink said.
The explosion has also affected electricity and water supplies.
The Star