Trade union Solidarity on Wednesday expressed its misgivings about the course of the Department of Labour investigation into the cause of the Sasol Unit 24 explosion last September.
Solidarity said in a statement that it is also concerned “that lego-technical procedures may affect the legitimate outcome of the investigation”.
In the meantime, the trade union announced on Wednesday morning that Sasol has agreed to conduct talks within a fortnight on compensation for the victims’ families.
According to Marius Croucamp, Solidarity’s chemical spokesperson, the issue surrounding the right to remain silent came to a head on Tuesday during an investigation in Evander, “when a fierce legal debate ensued between the legal teams of Solidarity and Sasol”.
This came after witnesses refused to answer a number of questions on the grounds that they could possibly implicate themselves in the investigation, the union said.
According to Croucamp, there are concerns that the investigation may possibly not reach a just outcome.
“The purpose of the investigation is, after all, to find out what had happened and to suggest steps that will prevent similar accidents in future.
“Critical questions that are not being answered create deficiencies in the process, which may affect the outcome of the investigation. The investigation is turning into a lego-technical battle, which serves nobody’s interests,” he said.
The investigation continued on Wednesday. — I-Net Bridge