Residents of the south Durban basin plan to call a consumer boycott of Engen filling stations, involving local community organisations and the taxi industry, over the company’s “arrogant” response to the fire at its 66-year-old Wentworth refinery last week.
They want the government to permanently close the refinery — which has been shut since the blast and subsequent fire — arguing that it is a threat to the safety of the community on whose doorstep it was built.
Seven people were slightly injured in the fire last Friday, which took place just after 7am at the Tara Road refinery, which is located across the road from densely populated council flats in Wentworth.
There’s a lot more to this story.
To continue reading, subscribe to the Mail & Guardian.
It pains us to say it, but good journalism costs money to produce, and so we have to reserve some of our stories for Mail & Guardian subscribers with paid-for levels of access to the site only. Like this one, for example.
You can subscribe to the Mail & Guardian and get access to all our stories and more at this link. And this weekend, you can sign up for just R2 a month.
If you have a current subscription, please login here.