{"id":420780,"date":"2021-11-01T12:34:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T10:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=420780"},"modified":"2021-11-01T12:38:28","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T10:38:28","slug":"denel-munitions-factory-explodes-into-fireball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/security\/420780-denel-munitions-factory-explodes-into-fireball.html","title":{"rendered":"Denel munitions factory explodes into fireball"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Denel munitions plant in Macassar near Somerset West suffered its second explosion in three years on Sunday night.<\/p>\n<p>Rheinmetall Denel Munitions CEO Jan-Patrick Helmsen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news24.com\/news24\/southafrica\/news\/another-explosion-rocks-denel-ammunition-plant-no-injuries-reported-20211101\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>told New24<\/strong><\/a> a fire at the facility following the explosion was contained and extinguished by its internal fire department and the City of Cape Town&#8217;s fire services.<\/p>\n<p>The cause of the explosion is under investigation, Helmsen said, and the company was fully cooperating with police in this regard.<\/p>\n<p>Several concerned Twitter users in the area reported seeing the explosion just after 23:00, while a Western Cape traffic centre camera also picked it up.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Anyone else see that insanely bright orange light from strand side?<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 LatelyZA (@LatelyCS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LatelyCS\/status\/1454918540012793856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 31, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Yes, looks like it was a fire \/burn at Rheinmetall Denel Munition and last time several people were killed. I hope everyone there is ok. Got these via whatsapp&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/L2c1hfLUYY\">pic.twitter.com\/L2c1hfLUYY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gina &#x1f3b6; Mostly Harmless (@0pinion8d) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/0pinion8d\/status\/1454928976242167808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 31, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I was waking on muizenburg beach and I saw a massive explosion? Im high but not that high. It was mad bright. It looked like the fucking sun<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chad Chad Chad (@3Chads) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/3Chads\/status\/1454918387310673927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 31, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">END OF DAYS : DENEL HELDERBERG. CPT. WC. EXPLOSION AT ARMS MANUFACTURER CAPTURED BY A TRAFFIC CAMERA LAST NIGHT. NO FATALITIES ALLEGEDLY.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SAPoliceService?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SAPoliceService<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cci_network?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@cci_network<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aPlK5e0bez\">pic.twitter.com\/aPlK5e0bez<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 REZA (@crimeairnetwork) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/crimeairnetwork\/status\/1455046517899866116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 1, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Journalist <a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/julianjansenjournalist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Julian Jansen<\/strong><\/a> shared security camera footage on his Facebook page showing the explosion lighting up the night sky.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=308&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.facebook.com%2Fjulianjansenjournalist%2Fvideos%2F238871424898388%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"308\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>No people were hurt in the latest explosion, but the plant is expected to face even stricter scrutiny after a more disastrous blast in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>In that incident, eight employees died, and several others were injured.<\/p>\n<p>A probe into the explosion found the cause was a combination of human error, when excess graphite was added to manufacturing material to rework sub-lots that did not meet the required standards, and a highly complex electrostatic electricity risk.<\/p>\n<p>While the employees did not follow due process, the investigators said they were very unlikely to foresee or expect to have foreseen the static electricity risk.<\/p>\n<p>The second part of an official inquiry into the blast began in October.<\/p>\n<p>Lawyers representing the victims&#8217; families have written to the Department of Labour, demanding it reviews the facility&#8217;s licence and suspends RDM&#8217;s explosives licence.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Now read: <a href=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/government\/411214-denel-execs-suspended-for-corruption-receive-full-salaries-but-employees-not-paid.html\" rel=\"bookmark\">Denel execs suspended for corruption receive full salaries \u2014 but employees not paid<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Witnesses of the explosion said it was as bright as the sun. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":420786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_threads_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[19625,73942,73938],"class_list":["post-420780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-security","tag-denel","tag-jan-patrick-helmsen","tag-rheinmetall-denel-munitions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420780"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420780"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":420794,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420780\/revisions\/420794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/420786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}