DA calls for health risk assessment after Lichtenburg Waste Tyre Depot fire

31 July 2023

The DA in the North West will write to the Acting Premier, Nono Maloyi and the MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha, to urgently establish an independent response team to assess the potentially devastating impact of the recent fire at the Lichtenburg Waste Tyre Depot in Biesiesvlei.

Thousands of tyres went up in flames and burned for days releasing a thick noxious smoke into the air. The blaze was fanned on by strong winds, blowing the potentially dangerous gas and smoke into the residential areas of Itekeng, Sannieshof, Agisanang, Ditshotswane and Schweizer-Reneke.

Residents in the area have been experiencing increased respiratory distress symptoms, shortness of breath, and other symptoms associated with exposure to the smoke. Medical doctors in the Sannieshof area have noted an increase in patients presenting with respiratory symptoms.

We have called on the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment for an investigation into the cause of the fire and whether the operator complied with the regulations of the National Environmental Act: Waste, specifically with regards to storage and fire prevention.

We call on the following:

The North West Department of Health must, as a matter of urgency, deploy a task team to assess the magnitude of the situation while at the same time mitigating any possible secondary complications, infections, or long-term health issues,

The North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism must equally deploy a response team to assess the impact that this fire has had on the environment, including the nearby rivers and streams, and

The Department of Agriculture needs to provide support to affected farmers in the area who have lost grazing because of the fire.

Waste tyres should be discarded in a regulated manner with specific attention to the impact on the environment and the health and safety of residents.

The DA will closely monitor government’s response into this avoidable disaster to ensure that there is accountability and action against any guilty parties found to be responsible.

Issued by Gavin Edwards, DA North West Provincial Spokesperson on Health, 31 July 2023