Diesel spill leaves a clean-up trail
Responders cleaned up spilled diesel near Thabazimbi Golf Club to reduce the risk of accidents.
Platinum Bushvelder newspaper | Thabazimbi – A diesel trailer overturned on the railway bridge near Thabazimbi Golf Club on Tuesday 27 October 2026, prompting an emergency response and an environmental clean-up.
The trailer was being towed by a bakkie travelling towards Northam. No other vehicles were involved, and the cause of the incident is under investigation.
Wildmed Emergency Services arrived at 13:42 to help manage the scene and prevent further accidents. Diesel had spilled from the trailer, with some flowing off the bridge into a feeder pipe. According to Wildmed, the soil covering the bridge embankments was not contaminated, but affected soil elsewhere would require rehabilitation.
Drizit Environmental was called in from Johannesburg to handle the spill. The rehabilitation process involved removing contaminated sand, soil and stones and securing them in containers to prevent further contamination. The material was transported to a treatment plant for cleaning, and fresh sand used to replace what was removed.
The response also included the TLM Waterberg District Fire Department, Thabazimbi Traffic Department and representatives of the company that owned the trailer.
Wildmed Emergency Services press release extracts