The mayor of Ekurhuleni has blamed the deaths of 17 people at Angelo informal settlement in Boksburg on illegal miners. Mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana blames zama zamas for the death of innocent women and children. He appealed to residents to continue reporting illegal mining activities taking place in their communities.

Godongwana said they suspect that some of the people who passed away are zama zamas but that most were community members as there were women and children. "I suspect that even the zama zamas were part of the deceased but there were also innocent people that have suffered death because of illegal mining," Ngodwana said. He added that there were still ten people in the hospital with the youngest being a two-month-old baby. "Six of them are out of the wounds and breathing on their own including the baby," he added. The mayor also said that as the municipality, they will make sure they provide all the necessities that the families and the community need such as counseling. "This is not a good thing to witness. It's very sad so I think they will need counseling and will provide the necessary support but will allow the police to work at the scene,' he said.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi urged law enforcement to pull their weight when it comes to curbing the scourge of zama zamas. He said the government doesn't have a solid plan. "Illegal activities in the area have been a problem of the province. We really believe we need a huge overhaul. We need to overhaul all of the strategies we have as a government. I don't think that we've got a plan either to reverse or to confront or to deal with it. I have been saying that we are under siege. I have presented this to those leading our law enforcement agencies. We are using outdated law enforcement mechanisms in a new area that needs new forms of enforcement. People are saying bring the army, which is a prolonged process. Illegal mining is out of control. We need a specialised way of training our specialised law enforcement, "said Lesufi. The premier urged community members to come forward with any information pertaining to the gas leak and report it to the authorities.