Over the weekend, the Democratic Alliance (DA), as part of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, conducted an oversight inspection at the Engen Refinery in Durban which was the site of a major explosion in December last year. The explosion caused catastrophic damage to the facility and greatly affected the surrounding community. Residents experienced damage to their homes and many suffered from post-traumatic stress as a result of the explosions. This included elderly people and young children.
See picture attached of blast site here and a picture of the DA delegation here (left to right: Heinz de Boer MPL, Cheryl Phillips MP and Dave Bryant MP)
The site visit was originally anticipated to take the form of a walkabout but this plan was changed on the day due to concerns from Engen, citing safety at the site and their own Covid-19 protocols and the visit instead took the form of a bus trip.
Members of the committee were still able to view the damage done by the explosion. Our guide advised that the damage occurred when a large tank of nitrogen exploded causing an estimated R800 million in damage. During a briefing beforehand Engen pointed the finger at one of their vendors but refused to name the vendor.
The visit ended with a public meeting with local residents and organisations. It was encouraging to hear the passion of a community who feel that they are simply not being heard. Residents were very keen to point out that they had lost faith in the senior leadership of the eThekwini Municipality. Local DA councilor, Zoe Solomon, was also present at the meeting and shared her own personal experiences as a resident.
The DA believes that the concerns of local residents are of paramount importance and that both the senior leadership of the eThekwini Municipality and Engen should be engaging in a more regular and meaningful way to address these concerns.
The DA has noted Minister Barbara Creecy’s comments regarding the reduction of emissions from refineries, starting in 2025. While we welcome the steps towards emissions reduction in the long term, more needs to be done right now. Eskom remains the largest polluter by far and will remain an albatross around the neck of any efforts to comply with international emission reduction targets. It is vital that these facilities function safely and efficiently so that they can continue to produce the much needed resources and jobs to the people of South Africa.