22 May 2015 R1-20/FREE
Acid truck accident leaves trail of injured Ronel van Jaarsveld Modimolle was in chaos this week with politicians, environmentalists and residents rushing in to prevent an environmental crisis. On Saturday, 16 May, a truck carrying sulphuric acid from Rustenburg to Zimbabwe overturned in Thabo Mbeki Road in front of Mr Munchies, spilling its load on the tar just 100 m from the town’s dam. Suplhuric acid is highly toxic and takes the form of a colourless, oily liquid. During an emergency meeting which was held on Tuesday, 19 May, and was attended by more than 100 people including the national MEC for Water and Sanitation, Nigel Adams, who flew in from Cape Town, fingers were pointed toward the ineffective and slow response from the municipality, the Waterberg District Municipality and the Limpopo Department for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism. Although they were immediately informed, it is alleged that after more than 48 hours no significant steps had been taken to limit the scope of this potential disaster. The impact of the sulphuric acid on the environment could apparently have been significantly reduced if the proper procedures for handling had been followed. Stakeholders in agriculture and environmental affairs, as well as Johan Abrie, the DA organizer for the Waterberg, apparently started the ball rolling by demanding that pressure be put on load role players from higher levels. Jacques Smalle the DA provincial leader, Langa Bodlani, the DA Legislature Whip, and Abrie laid charges at the Modimolle Police Station against Moses Sithole, the municipality’s Head of Disaster Management, Arie Claassens, the Head of Traffic, and Dan Mkonjane, the head of the district’s disaster management unit. Abrie says that the acid spill was mismanaged. The truck’s tanker contained 28 000 litres, of which 20 000 litres are believed to have spilled. The acid, which is used in batteries, ended up on the tar road less than 100m from the town dam’s link to the Nylsrivier. The river is currently shallow and slow-flowing. The truck overturned next to two vehicles in front of Mr Munchies, and acid splashed on the occupants of both vehicles. George Lesebe and Ester Mpulwane were both scalded.
These truck carrying 28 000 litres of sulphuric acid overturned on Saturday, 16 May, just before 09:00 in Thabo Mbeki Road, in front of Mr Munchies in Modimolle. An estimated 20 000 litres ended up in the Nylsrivier. Three people and the driver of the truck were injured. Photo: Ronel van Jaarsveld.
Two vehicles were splashed with sulphuric acid. Their owners were treated for acid scalds. George Lebese, the owner of the Nissan bakkie, said that his car sustained thousands of rands’ worth of damage. Photo: Herman Steyn
Petro van Aardt, who sells books and clothing in front of Mr Munchies, was also splashed. The wall behind her shows bleaching from the acid, and Petro’s jacket clearly shows the effects of the acid. Photo: Herman Steyn
A shoe, melted by the acid spill. Photo: Herman Steyn
Lebese was treated at St. Vincent’s hospital in Bela-Bela and was released a day later with scalds on his hand and leg. Mpulwane was taken to a hospital in Pretoria. Both their vehicles were damaged by the acid that splashed over their bodywork.Petro van Aardt, who sells clothing and books in front of Mr Munchies, was also splashed, and received treatment for scalds on her stomach, legs, and neck. “I received an enormous fright when the truck overturned behind me,” Lebese said on Tuesday afternoon. Lebese is a captain in the police in Bela-Bela. “I was in my vehicle, and I jumped out because I was worried that the liquid could catch fire, but I stepped in the acid, and it burned holes in my pants and my shoes.” He estimates the damage to his vehicle at around R100 000. “The owner of the truck said that he would come and see me.” Residents who drove through the acid also sustained damage to their vehicles. Fredrich Nezar, a Modimolle resident, told The BEAT that they were on their way to Mookgophong and drove through the spill seconds after the crash. “We pulled off the road into the parking lot. At first we thought it was diesel. Our eyes and lungs burned from the smell, and it looked as though the river was on fire. There was a dull cloud in the air from the acid reacting to the water.” The truck owner, Armen Sithole, immediately came down from Zimbabwe to help with the clean-up when he heard of the accident. He also reportedly paid for the first load of chalk which was added to the river, and worked until late with cleanup teams. To date, no charges have been laid against him or the driver of the vehicle, and the load had not been insured. On Monday morning, dead fish and crabs were seen drifting down the river near the Joe Slovo-street bridge. Although there were concerns about the quality of the water, no signs were put up to warn residents of the dangers. Children regularly play in this part of the river, and there is a park right next to it. At the time of going to press Abrie said that pH. tests indicated that the acid had not spread as far as Lilian Ngoyi street. At Tuesday’s meeting it was decided to add 40 tons of agricultural chalk to the river between the dam and Lilian Ngoyi Street to neutralize the acid. An earthworks was also constructed to prevent further spread. The Modimolle municipality refused to comment.