Durban — Merebank residents in the south of Durban have demanded South African Petroleum Refineries (Sapref) management to come clean on whether the plant was still in operation following the panic by Bluff residents after a fuel leak hoax at the weekend.
The Merewest Community Foundation (MFC) told the Daily News on Thursday that although the fuel leak turned out to be a false alarm, it had noted that in its response Sapref said it was using the pipeline on an ad hoc basis.
MFC chairperson Premilla Deonath said as the Merebank community, they were shocked and disturbed by this comment and decided to seek clarification from the plant management since the plant was known to have shut down operations early last year.
“I heard Sapref state that they hardly use those pipelines and use them on an ad hoc basis. On many occasions, Sapref claimed it had completely shut down.
“In fact, Sapref has even arrogantly refused to attend our emergency evacuation plan meetings or meet us regarding an emergency evacuation plan, despite many invitations.
“The management said the plant poses no danger to our communities but we are surprised that the plant was still in operation even on an ad hoc basis, we could have been informed so we could caution our communities about the possible leak,” said Deonath.
She called on the plant management to give the community clarity.
“The confusion is that they claim to have shut down, yet they contradict themselves by saying they use the pipelines on an ad-hoc basis.
“When last was the pipeline used? How often is it used? Please give us facts, Sapref, and the real truth! The community needs to know what dangers they face and to be prepared for it.”
She said because of a danger posed by the plant her foundation had published a book detailing an emergency evacuation plan to help the community if such incidents occur.
Deonath said it was important for residents to know whether there was still a gas pipe operating between Bluff and Merebank, especially in view of the many high-profile cases of gas incidents in recent weeks where many people lost their lives, and whole families were wiped out.
Ward 66 councillor Zoe Moore said after receiving the report of a gas leak at the weekend she immediately investigated, but later it was found to have been a false alarm.
She said the panic was high among the residents and there was evacuation, only to find there was no gas leak.
Moore said Sapref also informed her that it uses pipe on an ad-hoc basis.
Her ward covered most of the Bluff area.
She said her main concern was that eThekwini municipality has no disaster management plan for south basin areas, except a draft that is yet to be approved.
She said as a result, the community had to devise its own disaster management plan.
Sapref spokesperson Hlengiwe Hlela said there has not been any operation taking place since the plant paused its operations in April last year.
Daily News