On Now
Weekdays 09:00 - 12:00
Mid-Morning Magic Yolanda
NEXT: 12:00 - 15:00 At Lunch with Pulane
Listen Live Streams

Local News

Trade and Industry Minister calls for safer paraffin stoves

───   05:02 Thu, 28 Jul 2016

Trade and Industry Minister calls for safer paraffin stoves | News Article

Theunissen - Safer paraffin stoves and appliances will save the lives of poorer South Africans, especially those that live in informal settlements, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, said on Wednesday.


Davies said thousands of South African households used paraffin for cooking, heating or lighting, and many paraffin stoves were dangerous because of poor quality.

He said people in informal settlements lose their homes and belongings in fires caused by sub-standard paraffin stoves, some even lose their lives because the paraffin products they use are cheaper and of inferior quality.

"Many households in South Africa use paraffin stoves every day," Davies said in a statement.

"South Africa has some of the strictest laws in the world governing the safety of these stoves, but sub-standard stoves continue causing fires that result in tragic injury to people and destruction in neighbourhoods, year after year."

Davies was speaking at the Safe Paraffin Appliance Campaign held in Theunissen, Free State, on Wednesday.

He handed out 1500 safe paraffin stoves to residents in exchange of old ones and encouraged them to report distributors of unsafe stoves to the police or the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NCRS).

Davies said that all paraffin stoves and heaters made and sold in South Africa should be in line with standards set out by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and comply with the NRCS.

"We believe these households deserve high quality, safe stoves to help solve the problem of fire danger," Davies said.

Davies said it was against the law to sell paraffin stoves and heaters that do not meet these standards.

He said government was coming on to manufacturers and distributors of unsafe paraffin products and when they are arrested, they will be prosecuted.

Theunissen residents expressed excitement and thanked government for providing them with safe paraffin stoves.


ANA

@ 2024 OFM - All rights reserved Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | We Use Cookies - OFM is a division of Central Media Group (PTY) LTD.