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News24 reports that a community meeting on Tuesday night where Rheinmetall Denel Munition officials were expected to answer questions from Macassar residents about what happened at their depot on Monday fell flat after those who were due to attend cancelled at the last minute.
Residents expressed their anger after making their way to the Macassar New Civic Hall, hoping for details on the blast that claimed eight lives. Ward councillor Victor Isaacs told the assembled residents that the representatives had withdrawn from attending as "they say they are worried about their safety". Isaacs, who had been at the national key point site on Tuesday, said the employees who had been in the building at the time of the blast "couldn't have survived". The identities of the deceased had not yet been officially confirmed, he explained, as the remains were unidentifiable. DNA testing was required to identify the casualties, Isaacs indicated and added that Rheinmetall Denel had committed to employing a private company to speed up the identification process. The building had housed a blending operation for five different propellants used in artillery charges. According to Isaacs, the explosion occurred while the workers were busy with the blending. The blast was felt as far as Somerset West and Strand.
- Read this report by Tammy Petersen in full at News24
- Read too, 'I'm waiting for him to come home', laments wife of Denel munitions casualty, at News24
- And also, Mabuza sends condolences to families of Denel explosion victims, at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page