The Denel explosion that rocked the Somerset West community, on Sunday evening, is the subject of an investigation, officials close to the situation confirmed.
Denel explosion: What was the cause?
As reported by News24, Denel group CEO Jan-Patrick Helmsen revealed that the fire broke out at the state-owned entity’s warehouse shortly after 23:00.
Onlookers who witnessed the explosion took to social media to share videos and accounts of what happened when they heard the blast:
Explosion at Rheinmetall Denel Munition.
— B_from Tafelsig (@lukas_byron) November 1, 2021
Video :Supplied pic.twitter.com/Zi4p0KxzX0
The kids and I are totally freaked out. The sky turned orange over Somerset West. Does anyone know what it was? Meteor, explosion? https://t.co/n9fQodaoy9
— ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʟʟᴀᴍᴀ 💉💉 (@xLittleLlama) October 31, 2021
Yes, looks like it was a fire /burn at Rheinmetall Denel Munition and last time several people were killed. I hope everyone there is ok. Got these via whatsapp… pic.twitter.com/L2c1hfLUYY
— Gina 🎶 Mostly Harmless (@0pinion8d) October 31, 2021
At this time, the cause of the Denel explosion is currently under investigation. From what we understand, the fire was contained before it could spread out to other parts of Somerset West.
Fortunately, no fatalities or injuries were reported.
Denel victims families demand action
Sunday’s explosion at Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) brought back memories of the horrors of September 2018 when eight employees of the state-owned munitions company died in a blast.
As reported by IOL News, families of the victims have been calling for the suspension of all explosive activity at the warehouse, citing a report filed by an expert witness at the inquiry into the 2018 Denel explosion which found that the Somerset West building “did not meet industry standards for explosive manufacturing, mixing and/or blending.”
“We demand the Department of Employment and Labour to suspend the Explosive Licenses issued for Somerset West and review all Explosive Licenses issued to RDM by civil engineers with extensive experience designing and inspecting buildings for explosive manufacturing, mixing and/or blending,” the letter sent by the families to the Department of Labour read.
The victims families threatened to take the matter up with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) if Denel or the labour department does not meet their demands.