Maize trucks a West Bank health hazard

MAIZE trucks lining up outside the East London harbour are still clogging up West Bank streets and now some residents are complaining of dust affecting their health.

Resident Linda-Marie van der Merwe said at least 30 trucks had parked in West Bank on the weekend waiting to get to the grain terminal – about 10 in Dale Street and 20 in Bank Street.

“These trucks are a disruption and a health hazard as the drivers are spending two to three days at a time waiting to go into the harbour on Monday morning.

“There are facilities.”

The trucks started trundling through the harbour gates on Monday morning at exactly 6am.

Van der Merwe, manager of the Oceanic Hotel, in Bank Street, and an employee of Rent Trust, which owns 24 buildings in West Bank, said she and her daughter, five of her employees and a staff member working for Rent Trust who lived in the hotel, were “constantly suffering from severe sinus as a result of the maize dust”.

In an interview two weeks ago, the terminal’s safety, health, environment and quality manager, Lwando Mhlauli, said the boost of maize imports was no ablutions or toilet nonetheless being handled within the ambit of all health and safety laws.

He said maize was being offloaded onto conveyer belts which were covered and sealed.

Transnet provincial corporate affairs manager Sindie Ndwalaza yesterday said the terminal had “experienced no incident of any kind in the past where the dust has caused nose bleeding”.

Ndwalaza said: “The staging area to load and offload cargo at East London terminals has been created, and some trucks are waiting inside.

“However, we have been made aware that, only over the weekend, there may have been overflow due to new drivers requiring induction before they could enter the premises.”

Two weeks ago Wandisa Vazi, the terminal’s manager, said imported Mexican maize was pouring into East London. At one stage three trains, each pulling 40-wagons, had loaded and left for Zimbabwe.

She said drought had reduced SAgrown maize by 28% from nine million down to seven million tons.

As a result SA has to import the shortfall and the East London terminal has “stepped up to the plate to meet these demands” with the recent refurbishment of the grain elevator and rail connectivity. —