PRESS
STATEMENT BY UPL SOUTH AFRICA
12th
July 2022
Cornubia Warehouse
Attack One-Year Anniversary: UPL clean-up efforts show success
Today, marks
the one-year anniversary since the violent attack on UPL
South Africa’s leased distribution warehouse in Cornubia, Durban. UPL South
Africa was one of the thousands of businesses attacked during the riots and
looting that broke out in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng in July 2021,
which cost our economy around R50 billion and tragically resulted in 340 lives
being lost.
PRESS STATEMENT BY UPL SOUTH AFRICA
12th July 2022
Cornubia Warehouse Attack One-Year Anniversary: UPL clean-up efforts show success
Today, marks the one-year anniversary since the violent attack on UPL South Africa’s leased distribution warehouse in Cornubia, Durban. UPL South Africa was one of the thousands of businesses attacked during the riots and looting that broke out in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng in July 2021, which cost our economy around R50 billion and tragically resulted in 340 lives being lost.
Over the past year, UPL has spared no expense or effort to mitigate the impact of the attack, with about 130 people, including leading independent specialists, working around the clock to contain the overflow caused by containing the fire, undertaking sampling and coordinating with authorities. As a result of these efforts, all the beaches that were closed as a result of the incident were reopened for recreational purposes at the beginning of November 2021.
We are pleased that the overall concentrations of substances related to the over flow have declined substantially (dropping to either a fraction of original concentration or undetectable levels) in the system since the end of November 2021. There has also been success in re-establishing vegetation in the area. The system is returning to health, with a variety of tadpoles, algae and birdlife returning to the system.
Encouragingly,
it is evident from both the testing of first responders and on-site personnel,
as well as those few people who have attended the health clinic (set up by UPL
South Africa in partnership with the health authorities), that there is very
little by way of serious health impacts attributable to either the fire or the
overflow.
While the destruction of the warehouse also had the potential to seriously and severely disrupt food security in light of UPL South Africa being a major supplier of agricultural products in South Africa that are essential to food production and food security, this was avoided due to UPL manufacturing plants worldwide working overtime to make up for the stock destroyed at the distribution warehouse and UPL South Africa working tirelessly to arrange for the timeous delivery of the stock to South Africa. These joint efforts ensured the supply of vital inputs to farmers in time for their planting season and thus helping ensure South Africa’s food security.
Finally,
since the attack, UPL South Africa has regularly produced reports on the
clean-up efforts and progress made. All final reports have been submitted to
the various government authorities and have also been made available on the
online information repository, and thus available to all stakeholders. Multiple stakeholders have also visited the site and seen
the progress first-hand.
UPL South
Africa, guided by its team of experts, remains committed to continue working
with the relevant government authorities to build on the significant gains made
in terms of rehabilitating the spill impacted system.
Note to editors:
Please use the link below to access a video that details the destruction of the UPL leased warehouse facility and the enormous progress made with various aspects of the recovery.
ENDS///
Media
Enquiries
Thabi
Ndhlovu - 061 993 6672
