An e-hailing taxi driver has described how his vehicle caught fire when a gas tanker exploded in Boksburg on Saturday and his brief conversation with the injured trucker.
Willy Nkgodi went to the scene to help a colleague. He said he received a “hysterical” call from a woman e-hailing driver who said her vehicle was stuck next to the truck when it got wedged under a low bridge.
“I could hardly hear what she was saying because of the noise where she was. But I asked her to send the location and she did,” Nkgodi said.
When he arrived at the scene, “there was a lot of noise coming out of the truck”.
He parked a short distance away and walked towards the tanker.
“I tried to speak to the driver. I couldn't get much from him. I asked him if the tanker would explode, and he said no. Then he passed out,” Nkgodi said.
He waited a few minutes until the ambulance arrived and the driver was taken to hospital.
“We waited a few metres from the scene and heard the first explosion. The heat was too much and the next minute there was a second explosion.”
The fire engulfed his vehicle.
“I watched as my car was burning. That car was my bread and butter. I earned a living from it.
“I also saw my festive plans destroyed. I was planning to travel home to Limpopo on Saturday after work, so I had my best clothes destroyed. My other phone and R4,800 cash I had were also destroyed.”
Nkgodi said he was at the Boksburg magistrate's court on Wednesday, where the tanker driver is due to appear on multiple charges of culpable homicide, in the hope of meeting someone from the trucking company.
“I don't see any of them here. I was hoping they would come and tell us how they will compensate us,” he said.
There is tight security outside the court building with a police nyala and several other police vehicles from units including public order policing.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
E-hailing taxi driver who tried to help colleague describes losing his vehicle in Boksburg tanker blaze
Image: Photo: Belinda Pheto
An e-hailing taxi driver has described how his vehicle caught fire when a gas tanker exploded in Boksburg on Saturday and his brief conversation with the injured trucker.
Willy Nkgodi went to the scene to help a colleague. He said he received a “hysterical” call from a woman e-hailing driver who said her vehicle was stuck next to the truck when it got wedged under a low bridge.
“I could hardly hear what she was saying because of the noise where she was. But I asked her to send the location and she did,” Nkgodi said.
When he arrived at the scene, “there was a lot of noise coming out of the truck”.
He parked a short distance away and walked towards the tanker.
“I tried to speak to the driver. I couldn't get much from him. I asked him if the tanker would explode, and he said no. Then he passed out,” Nkgodi said.
He waited a few minutes until the ambulance arrived and the driver was taken to hospital.
“We waited a few metres from the scene and heard the first explosion. The heat was too much and the next minute there was a second explosion.”
The fire engulfed his vehicle.
“I watched as my car was burning. That car was my bread and butter. I earned a living from it.
“I also saw my festive plans destroyed. I was planning to travel home to Limpopo on Saturday after work, so I had my best clothes destroyed. My other phone and R4,800 cash I had were also destroyed.”
Nkgodi said he was at the Boksburg magistrate's court on Wednesday, where the tanker driver is due to appear on multiple charges of culpable homicide, in the hope of meeting someone from the trucking company.
“I don't see any of them here. I was hoping they would come and tell us how they will compensate us,” he said.
There is tight security outside the court building with a police nyala and several other police vehicles from units including public order policing.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
READ MORE:
‘I used to drive the tanker that burst into flames in Boksburg’
Boksburg explosion: Truck owner asks Gift of the Givers for guidance on helping victims
Electrical repairs at Tambo Memorial Hospital to cost about R18m: Maile
Labour department to provide financial relief to workers affected by Boksburg gas blast
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos