A Picture that reflects the aftermath of a mystery explosion that left a busy Johannesburg street ripped apart on exhibition in Newtown
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
A few months ago while at home in the evening, minding my own business, I was disturbed by WhasAPP messages images of a central Johannesburg street Bree Street one of the busiest in the city, ripped apart by a gigantic mystery explosion. Yes a mysterious one simply because no official could come up with a reason for that terror inducing event that shook. I was one of them.
Speculation started spreading far and wide on social media as to the reason for the cause of the explosion. Some sad it was terrorism. Some even attributed it to the crazy idea that it was because President Putin of Russia who has a warrant of arrest hanging on his head from the international Court could not attend the BRICS meeting that was going to take place a few days later in Sandton.
Of course this was all nonsense as there was no discernable link for Putin’s inability to travel to South Africa and an explosion in a Johannesburg Street tens of thousands of kilometres away from Moscow where Putin is based, strategizing his war with Ukraine that Russia invaded more than a year ago, and whose end remains a question of speculation till this day. Well we do know what caused the explosion even though an investigation was launched because the authorities are yet to publicly release the result of that investigation.
But what we know is that a big part of the ripped street is still that way – a gaping long hole in the middle of Johannesburg.
On Saturday, September 30, 2023, I was able to see the extent of the damage left on Bree Street by the event through a photograph captured by photographer Ryan Enslin. This particular photograph is in fact part of several photographs captured at several places from around the country by Enslin. Not all the images are about destruction and devastation though as some just demonstrate the beauty of this country in the form of buildings and other physical features of the country.
There also particularly striking photographs of a ballet dancer, dressed up and ready for action on the dance Floor. One is a portrait of a face of a young man n a deeply contemplative mood. I also enjoying viewing another image of a guitarist playing a solo. You can enjoy viewing these photographs at a current exhibition at the Market Theatre in Newtown as part of the ongoing WOMAD Festival currently running at the Market Theatre precinct. The exhibition curated by Sara Hallat and co-organised by the Meta Foundation and WOMAD is called Reflections from a Custodian of Moments.