One minute, she and her husband were trying to help a man who had collapsed at their gate, the next she woke up in the hospital to the news that she was now a widow. Her husband is one of the 17 people who died after inhaling toxic fumes from the leaking gas incident in Angelo squatter camp in Boksburg on Wednesday evening.

Ortancia Shivutsu told ZiMoja that she was with her husband in their shack when suddenly there was a stench of rotten eggs in the air. "I stepped outside to check what it was and I was met with a sight of a dying person. He was gasping for air and bleeding through his mouth. I called for my husband to come and see, he took out his phone and used it as a torch because he couldn't see properly but shortly after that, we both fell to the ground. I was still conscious because I saw my husband falling, unfortunately, I don't know what happened after that because I woke up in hospital," she said. She added that she could not believe it when she was told on Thursday morning that her husband Ricardo Makamu (58) died that morning. "I got this news a few minutes after I had regained consciousness. I was shocked but I knew it was that thing we inhaled that killed my husband. I don't know how I'm going to survive without him because he was providing for me," she said.

Ortancia urged the police to get rid of zama zamas. "We live in constant fear of their wars and these deadly chemicals they bring to our community. Look at how many people have died because of their carelessness, They need to be rooted out. Right now I have no clue where I am going to get money to take my husband's corpse back to Mozambique where we are originally from, "she said. A mother of two who refused to be named fearing victimization said the area was not safe at all. She said crime is committed in broad daylight and no one will help you. "Thursday was a better day because there were so many police cars here. On a regular day, you can't even walk around carrying your phone because they will snatch it, the criminals don't even hide themselves," she said.