Note to
editors: UPL will be not available for media interviews at this stage, but will
in the coming days provide the opportunity for extensive media briefings.
PRESS RELEASE BY UPL SOUTH AFRICA
SUNDAY 3 OCTOBER 2021
UPL disappointed by Minister Creecy’s release of preliminary report into the Cornubia warehouse attack
UPL
has always been fully committed to cooperation with all three spheres of
government to help manage the after effects of the violent attack on its Cornubia
Warehouse in July of this year. It has had extensive
correspondence with government in this regard, and has always acted in good
faith in its interactions.
Note to
editors: UPL will be not available for media interviews at this stage, but will
in the coming days provide the opportunity for extensive media briefings.
PRESS RELEASE BY UPL SOUTH AFRICA
SUNDAY 3 OCTOBER 2021
UPL disappointed by Minister Creecy’s release of preliminary report into the Cornubia warehouse attack
UPL
has always been fully committed to cooperation with all three spheres of
government to help manage the after effects of the violent attack on its Cornubia
Warehouse in July of this year. It has had extensive
correspondence with government in this regard, and has always acted in good
faith in its interactions.
UPL is thus deeply
disappointed that Minister of Forestry and
Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Barbara Creecy has decided to
release her department’s preliminary findings of an investigation into a fire
incident at its Cornubia Warehouse without any prior discussion with the
company. The preliminary report was only sent to UPL late last night, a matter
of mere hours before its release.
As a result, UPL has simply had insufficient time to properly consider
the preliminary report. What is nevertheless clear is that it
fails to address what is at the heart of the issue – namely, that the fires, which
led to the pollution, were caused by rioters involved in the civil unrest in
Kwazulu-Natal at the time and which the emergency services were unable to
contain. UPL along with many other businesses were left to fend for themselves
in the face of unprecedented and unforeseeable levels of violence and
criminality. This central fact seems to be conveniently ignored by Minister
Creecy’s department.
At
first glance, the circulation of this preliminary report at extremely late
notice to UPL, appears to have been a deliberate strategy to deny UPL
sufficient time within which to enforce its rights and ultimately to prejudice
its rights. UPL does not admit any non-compliance with the law, as alleged in
the preliminary report.
From
the limited time that UPL has had to consider the preliminary report, it is
also evident that very little has been said about UPL’s extraordinary efforts
at the containment and clean-up of its lost products, its compliance with its
NEMA obligations and the NEMA Directives issued – all at considerable cost to
UPL and in the most adverse circumstances possible.
UPL
has desisted from highlighting the many inadequacies of government’s response
to this matter. If it had, it would have detailed the many disorganised,
uncoordinated and contradictory responses from the authorities. It decided that
the best course of action would be to remain focused on urgent containment
efforts and dealing with the damage caused by the looters and the failure of
the state to provide adequate protection at the time of the violence.
UPL will in due course respond to allegations of non-compliance in the
appropriate forums. For now, it intends to get on with the clean-up and
rehabilitation. It has had extensive interactions with the authorities in the
past, and trust that the Minister’s current visit and actions have not
prejudiced that.
ENDS///
Media Enquiries:
Thabi
Ndhlovu – 061 993 6672
