Cape Argus reports that a year after the explosion that killed eight workers at Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) in Somerset West, there is still no clarity on what happened.  

While it is on record that the Department of Labour concluded its investigation in June this year, the report has yet to be made public.  In June, Western Cape provincial inspector David Esau had indicated:  “We can confirm that our investigation has been completed; we have submitted to our national inspector who will decide on whether prosecution will take place or not.”  But on Monday, the department responded to enquiries about the long-awaited report that it was prohibited from disclosing information about its investigation.  RDM’s Ruby Maree said:  “We are still awaiting the outcome of the investigations by the Department of Labour and the SAPS.  RDM’s own investigation (with external support) to identify the root cause is also still ongoing.  We will share all information and be transparent about all findings as soon as the final results are available.”  Chinaman Melani of the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union (Ceppwawu) said that he had heard through the grapevine that the department would be releasing its report “soon”.

• Read the full original of the above report by Mwangi Githahu at Cape Argus

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