Sea pollution after S.Africa riots an ‘environmental catastrophe’

A member of a spill cleaning crew removes dead fish from the river in the uMhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve in Durban on July 18, 2021. – South African authorities said on July 17, 2021, they were investigating possible pollution suspected to be linked to a spill at a chemical plant attacked during last week’s riots after dead fish washed ashore. The spill was identified on July 15, after an agrochemical warehouse near the eastern port city of Durban storing chemicals used for making herbicides, pesticides and fungicides was set ablaze.
(Photo by GUILLEM SARTORIO / AFP)

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) – South African government on Sunday said the sea pollution linked to a spill from a chemical plant attacked during riots in July had caused a serious environmental catastrophe.

Rioters ran amok looting and setting structures ablaze in July after former president Jacob Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for snubbing a corruption inquiry.

An agrochemical warehouse near the eastern port city of Durban storing chemicals used for making herbicides, pesticides and fungicides was one of the buildings torched.

Smoke rises from a Makro building set on fire overnight in Umhlanga, north of Durban, on July 13, 2021 as several shops, businesses and infrastructure are damaged in the city, following four nights of continued violence and looting sparked by the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma. – The unrest erupted last on July 9 after Zuma started serving a 15-month term for snubbing a probe into the corruption that stained his nine years in power. In a nationwide address , current President Ramaphosa lashed “opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft.” (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)

Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said Sunday the “environmental impact of the chemical spill and fire incident… has caused the most serious environmental catastrophe in recent times”.

Presenting the results of an investigation into the incident she said it “may take several years to recover from this incident”.

Following the incident the local municipality closed beaches as a precautionary measure, and warned the public to refrain from fishing, surfing or picking up dead sea life. The beaches remain shut.

A criminal case has been opened against the company, UPL, who had no environmental permits to run their operations in the area, said the minister.

President Cyril Ramaphosa described the violence — which claimed 354 lives and was the worst seen since the end of apartheid — as an attempted insurrection.

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