Following a Newsnote expose, various City of Joburg departments are investigating allegations that trucks transporting hazardous material are parked in the middle of a residential area, Glen Austin in Midrand posing a threat to the lives of the residents including primary school pupils.
The Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) , Joburg Emergency Services (EMS) and the Joburg Fire Department have promised to look into the allegations first exposed in a social media post by Glen Austin Residents Association chairperson John Mpatshoe.
Mpatshoe also raised concerns about the storage of hazardous petroleum products in a residential area which posed a danger to the residents by posting images of the trucks that Newsnote found parked in the area.
The owners of the company were sent questions and they still haven’t responded at the time of publication.
Not only are the trucks a fire hazard, Glen Austin residents have to put up with a stench that is alleged to be leaking from the petroleum material stored in them which also poses a threat to the environment.
Residents also complained that the trucks drove past a primary school daily and highlighted the dangers associated with gas following the Boksburg Christmas Eve gas tanker explosion which claimed the lives of more than 30 people.
In response to our questions, the Fire Department said it would go to the area to check if the company involved in the transportation and storing of the petroleum products has the fire safety requirements to have fuel in the area and if it is leaking, they will do an investigation.
JMPD Spokesperson Xolani Fihla – in response to questions and concerns that the trucks were destroying roads in the area by driving up and down carrying heavy loads – said unfortunately JMPD doesn’t create laws but enforce them.
“Only the Department of Transport can, so we can’t act upon that unless there’s signage that prohibits vehicles from using a particular road, all we can do is petition to the relevant departments such as Transport and Johannesburg Road Agency to prohibit trucks from using certain roads.
“It looks like these questions are related to fire safety by-laws which are a competency of EMS, but I’ll double check on how it involves JMPD as well,” he said.
The EMS’s spokesperson Nana Radebe Kgiba promised to launch an investigation into the company for allegedly operating in this residential area.
