Nearly seven years after the Rheinmetall Denel Munition tragedy in Somerset West, Susan Tandy says she is still waiting for answers about the blast that killed her 18-year-old son, Bradley.

A new fire at the site this week has reopened old wounds for families who say they were denied full closure and have never been told clearly what caused the 2018 explosion.

For them, compensation is not enough. They still want the truth, accountability and justice for the eight workers who died.

A mother still haunted by the blast

Nearly seven years after the deadly Rheinmetall Denel Munition explosion in Somerset West, Susan Tandy says she is still living with grief, trauma and unanswered questions. Her son, Bradley Tandy, was just 18 when he was killed in the 3 September 2018 blast at the facility, where he had worked for less than two years.

This week, another explosion at the premises brought that pain flooding back. Tandy said she was hanging her washing in her backyard when she heard the loud blast and was instantly taken back to the day she lost her son. Rheinmetall Denel Munition confirmed that a fire broke out on Tuesday and said no one was injured. The company said an investigation would begin once the area was declared safe.

Families say closure never came

For Tandy and the relatives of the other workers killed that day, the biggest wound is that the cause of the 2018 disaster remains unknown to them. She said she never got to identify her son’s remains or hold an open-casket funeral. That, she says, robbed her of the closure every parent deserves.

Tandy described Bradley as “just a baby”, saying the latest incident reopened years of pain. She questioned why a new investigation could be announced so quickly after the latest fire while families from the 2018 tragedy still say they have never been given clear answers about what happened.

The 2018 explosion killed eight workers: foreman Nico Samuels, team leader Stevon Isaacs, operators Mxolisi Sigadla, Bradley Tandy, Jamie Haydricks, Jason Hartzenberg, Triston Davids and Thandolwethu Mankayi.

Prosecution decision deepened frustration

In 2023, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions decided not to prosecute, despite recommendations from the Department of Employment and Labour after a Section 32 inquiry found grounds for criminal prosecution. That decision added to the anger and frustration of families still searching for accountability.

Community activist Christiaan Stewart has since written to various authorities calling for action. But Rheinmetall Denel Munition has said the Department of Labour confirmed that the final report was meant only for the Chief Inspector and the DPP, and is therefore not open to the public.

Compensation cannot replace the truth

Tandy said the families receive monthly compensation through an insurance arrangement that runs for 10 years and is expected to end in 2028. But for her, financial support is not the same as truth.

The latest fire has revived a painful question for families who have already waited too long: if new incidents are investigated, why does the 2018 tragedy still feel unresolved? For Susan Tandy, the fight is no longer only about grief. It is about dignity, accountability and the right to finally know what happened to her son.