South African petrochemical and chemical company Sasol denies allegations of illegally dumping hazardous chemical waste into the Klipspruit River near the Benfield complex in the city of Secunda. Investigators from South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority conducted new searches at the company’s facilities and collected water and chemical samples over two days, Daily Maverick reports.
The investigation concerns claims by whistleblower Ian Erasmus, who said in 2019 that the facility had illegally discharged hazardous waste into the Klipspruit from 2012 to 2019. Investigators also inspected the chemical sewer network, shut-off valves and routes to API wastewater containment tanks.
The company’s position
Sasol told the parliamentary committee on forestry, fisheries and the environment that it sees no grounds for criminal prosecution related to Benfield’s operations. The company declined to answer some direct questions about the results of water testing in surrounding water sources during the period covered by the allegations, citing its constitutional right not to incriminate itself.
At the same time, Sasol set out a technical explanation of its effluent management system. According to the company, chemicals including vanadium, potassium carbonate and diethanolamine are handled in concreted areas with protective barriers. Water from washdowns or local leaks enters a separate chemical sewer system and then an internal wastewater system and API 1 and 2 tanks, rather than the environment.
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The company also maintains that even a faulty or fully open valve could not direct effluent into the Klipspruit or Vaal river systems, as it would have to enter containment tanks. Liquid unsuitable for reuse is pumped into protected containers and transported to the licensed MTV landfill or a Class A landfill, Sasol said.
Expansion of the investigation
Sasol also rejected Erasmus’s interpretation of a chart showing a sharp increase in vanadium levels. The company said the data reflected laboratory analyses of contaminated water in the API 2 tank, where water containing vanadium is retained and treated for further use in production.
In 2022, Sasol had already faced charges related to Erasmus’s claims. According to Mail & Guardian, if found guilty, the company could have faced a fine of up to 10 million rand for unlawful handling of hazardous chemicals in the Vaal River system. In 2025, those charges were provisionally withdrawn.
Frances Craigie, head of enforcement at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, told lawmakers on August 4 that the investigation had been extended to the third and fourth phases of Benfield. Investigators are also examining whether Sasol officials provided false or misleading information to environmental inspectors. The case already includes 16 additional witness statements, and evidence collection is ongoing.
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