A fire that broke out at a Denel plant in Somerset West near Cape Town has prompted calls for the facility to be shut down or moved to a non-residential area to reduce the risk to life and property.
On Sunday night, residents in the area reported seeing a huge fireball over the plant, which produces explosives and propellants for civilian and military use in ammunition.
Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) confirmed the fire and said neither injuries nor casualties were reported.
RDM, which specialises in the development, design and manufacture of large- and medium-calibre ammunition, is 51%-owned by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition of Germany and 49% by Denel, the struggling state-owned weapons company.
RDM CEO Jan-Patrick Helmsen said the fire at the Somerset West plant had been extinguished by the internal fire department and Cape Town’s fire and rescue service.
“The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, however, police are currently on the scene and we are working closely with them. A thorough investigation will be conducted,” Helmsen said.
Peter Helfrich, a DA councillor based in the area, said he had been contacted by many residents who said they did not feel safe as long as Denel continues to operate near their homes.
He said, however, not all residents felt the same as the plant provides jobs for the local community.
In 2018, the Somerset West plant was rocked by an explosion that killed eight workers and left scores injured. It was later established that the explosion was caused by a combination of human error and never-before-seen static electricity.
A commission of inquiry set up by the state to look into the 2018 blast recently heard of structural shortcomings and defective designs, as well as unnecessary overtime being put in when there were no large orders. It also heard that necessary risk assessments were not done.
The families of the workers who lost their lives in the blast have called on the government to suspend the company’s licence, which allows it to make explosives. Citing testimony by an expert at the inquiry, the families said in a joint letter that the plant is not adequately equipped to deal with another explosion and the “concrete walls are also too thin to shield employees from fragments should an explosion occur again”.
Trade union Uasa, which represents some of the workers at the facility, said it is deeply concerned by the latest explosion.
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