The article “Legislators want tougher measures and inspections for chemical storage areas to avoid another UPL disaster” (Daily Maverick, 28 November 2021) contains a number of incorrect statements by the KZN MEC about UPL South Africa’s response to the arson attack against its warehouse in Cornubia on 12 July 2021.
If accurately reported, some of the statements by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Ravi Pillay require a response. Perhaps the most in need of correction is the statement that UPL has lodged an appeal “objecting to the more stringent requirements to monitor and assess the impacts on human health and the environment”. That suggests that UPL is resistant to accepting its legal responsibilities arising from the incident and its consequences.
That is directly contradicted by the substance and context of the appeal lodged by UPL, and the cooperative manner in which UPL has approached the appeal process in order not…