A PRE-TRIAL date has been set for December in the case against United Phosphorous Limited SA (Pty) Ltd (UPL) and its three directors at the Durban Regional Court.

UPL, Marcel Dreyer, Jan Jonathan Botha and Paul De Gryse appeared in court on Wednesday, when the matter was adjourned to December 4.

They face multiple charges relating to alleged offences that came to light after the UPL warehouse in Cornubia, north of Durban, was set alight during the unrest and public violence in July 2021.

KZN NPA Regional Spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the charges include contravention of Section 49A (1)(a) of the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998, which relates to “Operating a facility without being granted an environmental authorisation.”

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The accused also face a charge of contravening Section 49A (1)(e) of the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998, relating to “Causing significant pollution of or degradation to the environment”.

Another charge relates to contravening Section 5 (1) of the eThekwini Municipality Bylaw of 2020, relating to “Storing hazardous substances without written permission from the Municipality.”

During Wednesday’s proceedings, Ramkisson-Kara said the State had filed a response to the defence’s previous request for further particulars.

“The matter was adjourned to December 4 for any interlocutory applications, alternatively, a pre-trial conference,” added Kara.

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