Joseph Dumisani died after being hit by a taxi during the explosion in Joburg’s CBD earlier this week.
- Brother and friends of Joseph Domisan, who died during the Joburg explosion, say his family in Malawi is still in shock over the news of his death.
- Zekil Paul, Ali O’Malley and Palaca spoke to News24 from Joburg’s city center on Saturday.
- The trio said they tried to contact Dumisani, a street vendor on Lilian Ngoy and Loveday Streets, for six hours before learning of his death.
The brother of the man who died after being hit and trapped by a taxi during an explosion this week in the Joburg CBD said his family in Malawi still refused to believe it when he was told of his death.
Joseph Domisan, 34, was arrested at the corner of Loveday and Lilian Ngoyi Streets.
He was buried under a minibus that had overturned before Gas explosion As a result, 48 people were injured and taken to hospital.
Speaking to News24 on Saturday from the city centre, his brother Zekil Paul as well as his friends Alli O’Malley and Balaka said they tried to contact Demisan for six hours before learning of his death from a police officer who answered his phone.
Paul said, “We still can’t believe if it’s true or not… We can’t believe our brother is gone. The family is at home waiting and they don’t believe us when we tell them he’s no longer with us. They keep calling.”
Joseph Dumisan’s brother and friends say they are devastated by the death of their loved ones.
Cebelihle Bhengu/News24
According to Paul, Dumisan usually finished work at 18:00 and came home soon after.
Paul said:
We kept trying to contact him because he never came home. His phone kept ringing until midnight. Then we called again at 01:00 when the police officer told us that our brother had passed away. He said he was involved in the explosion.
Shocked and in disbelief, they continued calling Dumisan’s phone even after speaking to the police officer.
“The officer responded again and told us to come to the Hillbrow Mortuary to identify his body on Thursday morning,” he said.
Dumisan’s friend and roommate of 12 years, O’Malley struggled to hold back tears as he remembered his friend.
he added:
I remember calling him until I fell asleep. I got up in the middle of the morning and touched his bed, but he wasn’t there. The officer told me he died a few hours ago. I have known him for 12 years. Now, I don’t know what to do. I can’t even speak without crying. Where am I going – He was my family and he loved me very much.
Balaka said he had known Dumisan for five years and described him as a peace-loving person.
He said the three were trying to cover the costs of bringing Dumisan’s body back to their family home for burial.
“We are busy collecting money to send him home, but we are struggling. Some of our friends are trying to organize transportation to Malawi. We will also contribute some money so that he can be buried at home,” he said.