Most people do not know that there are approximately 18-21 million South Africans who use paraffin on a daily basis. This constitutes almost 50% of South Africa’s population that faces a real possibility of being injured or of dying due to paraffin-related incidents.

The National Treasury Department estimates that annually the cost of these accidents to the country’s fiscus is R104 billion. Clearly this is very big problem, yet it is not receiving the attention that it deserves from civil society, media and government.

Advocating for a Household Energy Safety System
Headlines of horrific paraffin related deaths do not shock people anymore. It seems that the regularity of accidents like these throughout the country numbs us to inactivity. Yet, they affect millions of South Africans. 

A few months ago a devastating fire, connected to paraffin negligence, razed buildings to the ground, shattered the lives of a number of people and brought the northern suburbs of Cape Town to a grounding halt as the fires compromised the integrity of a bridge on Vanguard Drive. Since then, many other incidents have occurred and many people have been killed or injured as a result of such negligence.

There is a need for a long-term rather than short-term solution to this problem. Changing the colour of paraffin and substituting one fuel with another will not ensure people living longer. We need a Household Energy Safety System which will address the underlying systemic problems.

Household Energy Usage and Poverty Patterns
In most cases, poor people’s access to fuel is a matter of survival and not a luxury. Their poverty determines their energy usage. We, at the Paraffin Safety Association, are concerned that when innovative solutions are sought, especially in evaluating the appropriateness or suitability of such innovations, poor people are rarely consulted.

We believe that a participatory approach is needed in order to guarantee success and acceptability of solutions for this problem.

In this context, the Association is trying to work with government to adopt a more integrated approach to the household energy safety policy which recognises the safety and multiplicity of energy sources used in poor households and the opportunities for intervention that this presents.

Although poor households carry some responsibility for safe energy practice in their homes, it is the responsibility of petroleum companies to ensure that their energy supply systems are safe and suitable for low-income households. Similarly, it is the responsibility of government to ensure that there are affordable and safe household energy options through evidence-based policy development and implementation. They are obliged to regulate multiple energy supply systems so that the constitutional right to a safe environment can be entrenched and not undermined.

Working Towards a Solution
Because of the lack of scientifically verified information about the extent, causes and effects of paraffin-related incidents, the Paraffin Safety Association is compiling a knowledge base in a Household Energy Surveillance System about the domestic use of paraffin (and other energy sources) and its consequences. This includes conducting incidence surveillance as well as collecting and interpreting all relevant household energy information. We are currently working with hospitals in Pietermaritzburg, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Cator Manor. We hope that the outcome of the surveillance project will help galvanise civil society, business and government to take action to systematically prevent such occurrences in the future.

They say prevention is better than cure. Therefore, the prevention of accidents from happening should be the goal. We need an Integrated Household Energy Safety System that is premised on the needs of consumers.

– Patrick Kulati, Managing Director, Paraffin Safety Association of Southern Africa.

– Picture Acknowledgement: Picture Courtesy of Paraffin Safety Association of Southern Africa.