Disaster Management on site after blast at Rheinmetall Denel Munition

City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management teams are on site at the Denel plant in Somerset West following a fire on Tuesday morning.

Fire and Rescue and EMS crews responded to a building fire at the premises.

They are assisting Denel teams to contain the blaze.

The Denel facility in Somerset West has a history of hazardous incidents.

In 2018, eight workers were killed in a massive explosion at the Rheinmetall Denel Munition plant, destroying a building and sending shockwaves through nearby communities.

A smaller explosion in 2021 caused no fatalities but renewed calls for the plant’s closure over safety concerns.

In 2023, the National Prosecuting Authority declined to prosecute over the 2018 blast, citing insufficient prospects of success - a decision that angered victims’ families.

No injuries have been reported in the latest incident.