By: Natasha Archary

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and City of Joburg officials have decided to completely shut down Bree Street in the Johannesburg CBD, following a gas explosion which claimed 1 life, with 48 others injured.
The terrifying explosion on Wednesday afternoon, 19 July at approximately 17h00, ripped through one of the busiest streets in downtown JHB, overturning and damaging more than 37 vehicles.
Johannesburg Emergency Services confirmed the body of one man was found under one of the overturned vehicles on Bree Street, which is now called Lillian Ngoyi Street.
Lesufi said the reason for shutting down the entire street is to ensure that there is minimum movement in the area and avoid any further potential risk.
The concern for officials is the integrity of the buildings, and all residents have been evacuated and moved to temporary structures being set up in Mary Fitzgerald Square.
Panyaza Lesufi was briefing on Thursday morning, 20 July, detailing the way forward after the devastating explosion.
“We have to go minimum as possible without risking any more lives, because there is an infrastructure part that we are worried about.
So, we have decided to go minimum, in order for us to assess the buildings on Bree Street, and the entire Bree Street will be closed.
Then we will move to the two adjacent blocks near Bree street and divert there as well, but this will be done in stages. For now, it’s important that Bree Street is a no-go zone.”
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi explains why Bree Street will be shut down following a gas explosion
Lesufi says because there’s a suspicion that the explosion was caused by gas, all institutions that have experience and expertise in gas have been brought in to determine the cause of the explosion.
This despite Egoli Gas releasing a statement saying the JHB CBD explosion is unlikely to be caused by its gas pipelines.



