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Article

10 Sep 2019

Author:
Fred Kockott, Ground Up (South Africa)

S. Africa: Company agrees to rehabilitation of community after oil spill affected water sources

‘Oil spill: Willowton agrees to community demands’ 10 September 2019

Willowton Oil, the Pietermaritzburg edible oil manufacturer responsible for recent contamination of the uMsunduzi River, has pledged further assistance to communities affected by the massive spill of 1.6 million litres of fatty oil and caustic soda. This follows a demonstration on Monday held outside the offices of Willowton Group by people living in immediate neighbouring communities. Grievances included drinking and fishing water contamination and the killing of crops.

Following the spill into the Baynespruit river, a tributary of the uMsunduzi, thousands of dead fish floated to the surface of the Msunduzi and Umgeni River rivers as far as 40km downstream of the plant. Both rivers turned a greyish, milky colour. Pollution soon extended as far as Inanda Dam, a major water supply to Durban…“The company has also committed to the training of 25 unemployed persons every six months as part of the company training program. Furthermore, the company has promised to train ten suitably qualified females as code 14 drivers,” reads a Willowton statement.