Ster learned unofficially that there was a huge explosion at one of Sasolburg’s big factories at about 08:20 this morning (22 May 2017).

Many readers called Ster in the past half hour to ask if it was an earth tremor or an explosion. Rumours are that an explosion happened at Natref but at this stage we have no official confirmation. It is also not known if anyone was injured – if there was indeed an explosion.

Sasolburg Ster’s reporter, Schalk le Roux, is outside Natref at the moment. He was asked by Security to leave the area but is still in the vicinity of the industrial area. Schalk reports that he sees numerous ambulances driving in and out of Natref’s gate.