Concerns have been raised about an abandoned property in Brakpan’s industrial area of Labore causing severe damage to the environment.
The property, where crude oil and oilseed cake was once manufactured, is engulfed in black, smelly sludge.
The oil has also flooded the surrounding area, affecting neighbouring businesses.
The Herald recently visited the property, which is situated along Joule Street, after receiving a complaint from a member of the public.
The business operating from the premises has reportedly been liquidated.
Upon arrival, it is not immediately evident from the front of the premises that the entire grounds are flooded by oil.
The first indicator is an unusual smell, which becomes stronger as you approach the entrance gate.
As you get closer, the slick, shiny pools of dark muck become visible.
Getting into the property was impossible without a makeshift bridge, constructed from hardboard.
Escorted by two Brakpan police officers, who later had to use petrol to clean their boots, the Herald waded onto the premises.
It is clear that the property has fallen victim to thieves, as window frames and other items of value have been stripped from the only building not dripping in oil.
The rest of the property is covered in thick pools of iridescent liquid.
Coloured powders in green and orange, possibly some kind of chemical, are caked on some of the surfaces.
The acrid smell becomes nauseating and the sludge then becomes too deep to go any further.
At the rear of the premises, sections of the wall are missing and the extent of the contamination becomes clear when viewed from this location, in Pascal Street.
From here you can see the tops of submerged barrels in the oil and the sludge has flooded into the street.
Despite the smell and the obvious health risks, food was being prepared and sold from a caravan only metres away.
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Following the visit, the Herald contacted several companies operating along Joule Street, who all agreed the property is a hazard.
One man recalled that three roads were initially affected by the spill – Joule, Pascal and Volt streets.
According to him, the company operating from the premises closed in November or December last year.
“They had these huge overhead cranes removing the tanks and they broke the back wall, which is how the oil spilled into the street in the back,” he said.
“It ran downhill into the main road (Volt Street).”
The man described how the smell from the sludge intensifies when it rains.
“It is overpowering, there are chemicals or something in the oil that reacts with the water and it just pollutes the air,” he said.
A man from another company described the situation as an ‘environmental disaster’.
“It has to be causing the worst imaginable damage to the environment, as well as posing health risks to us, the people working here.”
Comment was requested from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and the following questions were posed to the metro: is council aware of this property, what action will be taken, what consequences will those who are responsible face, who will clean this up, who will pay for it to be cleaned up and will an impact study be done?
In a response to the Herald, Ekurhuleni spokesperson Themba Gadebe commented that a statutory notice had been issued to the owner of the property and an inspection will be carried out within 14 days.
He added that the Water Quality – Springs Depot will also be informed of the matter.
Also read: Sewage flows into Brakpan Dam
Metro ignores potential health hazard
