Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) aims to have its Somerset West facility running normally again in April/May this year following an explosion at the site in September 2018.
RDM CEO Norbert Schulze said other buildings in Somerset West will be used to make up the shortfall created by the destruction of buildings – the propellant operations building was completely destroyed in the blast on 3 September, which killed eight workers.
Rebuilding the destroyed building and repairing blast walls will take around 18 to 20 months, with Schulze expecting the new building to be operational around 2021.
Investigations into the Somerset West blast are ongoing, with no date set for their conclusion. Schulze said at the moment the cause of the blast has not been determined. Due to the intensity of the blast, not much evidence was left behind.
In the aftermath of the explosion three forensic investigations were launched – one by RDM itself, with external support – and the others by the SA Police Service and the Department of Labour.
RDM has said the Somerset West explosion has not had any major impact on production and delivery times. Customers whose orders were affected by the incident were individually informed.
Schulze said RDM is contributing significantly to South Africa’s defence capabilities, which need to match its diplomatic and peacekeeping efforts. RDM employs some 2 500 people in South Africa – when it was established in 2008 it only had 1 100 workers. It plans to create 300-400 jobs every year for the next decade. The company says 85% of products produced locally are being exported.
