Three UPL directors appear in court over 2021 unrest chemical spill
UPL and three directors appeared in the Durban Regional Court over alleged environmental contraventions linked to the July 2021 fire at the company’s Cornubia warehouse.
United Phosphorous Limited (UPL) and three of its directors, Marcel Dreyer, Jan Jonathan Botha, and Paul De Gryse, appeared in Durban Regional Court on Wednesday amid allegations of environmental violations resulting from a 2021 unrest. The incident involved a warehouse storing pesticides that was set ablaze by looters in July of that year. UPL, along with the three directors, faces charges under the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 and a bylaw issued by eThekwini Municipality.
According to NPA regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, one of the charges alleges that the defendants contravened the eThekwini Municipality Bylaw of 2020, which specifically addresses the storage of hazardous substances without obtaining written permission from the municipality. The second charge asserts that they failed to establish adequate safety measures within the warehouse to either prevent or respond to the disaster.
These allegations emerged following a fire at UPL's warehouse in Cornubia, located north of Durban, during the unrest and subsequent public violence in July 2021. During the court proceedings on Wednesday, the State presented its response to a prior request by the defense for additional particulars. Ramkisson-Kara announced that the case has been postponed until December 4, 2026, allowing all parties to submit any interlocutory applications or, alternatively, attend a pre-trial conference.
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