Cape Winelands farms evacuated due to sulphuric acid spill

Authorities evacuated farms within a three kilometre radius of a dangerous chemical spill at a company in the Cape Winelands on Thursday.

The evacuation was carried out as a safety precaution in case the sulphuric acid formed a gas cloud carried by the wind.

Cape Winelands fire chief Danie Wilds said the leak occurred 20 kilometres from the town of Wellington and the evacuation measures only applied to surrounding farms and not large residential areas.

“The situation is stable at the moment but as a precaution we have evacuated a three kilometre radius from the premises. This is standard procedure. Farms have been evacuated as a safety measure”‚ said Wilds.

The company‚ linked to the defence industry‚ was not immediately available for comment.