Join us, as we picket outside the racecourse tomorrow!

RESIDENTS take the Clairwood Race Course Developer to the High Court!

The current traffic jams is a sign of worse to come. Every day teachers, pupils and workers are late for work. There is dust affecting residents daily, clothes cannot be left on washing lines, cars cannot be kept clean and you cannot sit outside in your yard or even have a meal as there is dust and sand everywhere. The Developer has ignored requests from the affected community to meet and discuss these concerns. At 3 mass meetings held, the community has decided to picket outside the race course this Saturday 9 September from 8.30 to 11am.

We call on the community to join this protest in our numbers to show how angry we are with this “logistics park”. Capital Fortress which is owned by major South African banks will not get away as the SDCEA together with the Legal Resource Centre has lodged an application to the Durban High Court to have the decision of the past MEC Mr Mike over turned. A whole day has been set aside for Friday 15^th September 2017 for the review application to be argued.

An educator and well-known activist Roshan Ramdheen stated: “government continues to fail the people of the Durban South, we are an island surrounded by polluting industries and now we have to contend with over 3000 more vehicles entering the Clairwood Race course daily. The quality of life and that of our neighbourhood will be destroyed forever. We cannot rely on government to protect us we have to unite and fight to protect the future of our children”.

Residents of the affected areas have asked why money is placed before the lives of our young children.  At various meetings frustrated residents stated they will not stand by idly and allow the area to be destroyed and they might as well kill us all instead of our children.

The local residents, schools, small legal businesses, religious institutions  and cultural groups will be picketing outside the Clairwood Racecourse on Saturday 9^th September 2017  starting at 08.00am  and end at 11.00am

For more details please contact:

Desmond D'Sa [SDCEA Coordinator]

Office: 031 4611 991

Cell: 083 982 6939

Email: desmond@sdceango.co.za

THE POOR MAN’S TRANSPORT BACK IN ACTION

The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance has been informed that on Wednesday the 23^rd of August 2017, the train that provides transportation to subsistence fisher folk from Durban and Chatsworth to the West has been re-opened. It was shut down since 2016 when a sandbank collapsed onto the tracks. After more than a year of dispute with Transnet freight rail, the train is finally operational and is currently chartering the fisher folk. This service is vital in the lives of the fisher folk as it provides free transportation to the West, where they disembark and walk a short distance to the poor man’s deep sea boat, the South Pier. In the past when it was shut down, the fisher folk had to walk the distance of 2.5 km to get to the pier taking about 45 minutes to an hour to do so. This became problematic as they carry heavy tackle and gear. The elderly fisher folk suffered more so as they could not walk such distance. However since the train is in operation, the fisher folk’s journey to the South Pier has become faster and safer.

The train runs at these times:

·                     5:45 am	·                     13:30 pm
·                     6:15 am	·                     15:00 pm
·                     6:45 am	·                     16:00 pm
·                     7:15 am	·                     17:30 pm
·                     7:45 am	·                     17:50 pm

"A breath of Fresh Air"

Open Letter: “A breath of fresh air”

To CEO of Transnet Richard Vallihu

Smart Port Upgrade for Durban

Your letter in the Independent on Saturday (27 May 2017) was a breath of fresh air, showing that there is concern about the poor and marginalised who had lived in communities surrounding the port since timey memorial.

We need the dreams of our youth and communities to be fulfilled and Transnet is in the right space and time to do just that, by ensuring everybody, no matter if you’re poor or rich, can be part of the port.

I must also stress past Transnet CEO’s and senior managers marginalised and isolated the subsistence fisherfolk and unemployed from the Durban harbour. This practice continues even though your letter indicates change will happen. Since 911 subsistence fishermen have had to endure fines, harassment, confiscation of fishing equipment and their catches being taken away from both the port security and South African harbour police. The poor man’s transport the Metro Train from Chatsworth to the deep water South Pier has not been in operation because of the train lines for over a year and TRANSNET sister organisation PASSA is unable to fix a simple rail line?  Subsistence fisherfolk and the working class are affected.

We are calling for your written and spoken words of deep seated compassion to be turned into words of action, by opening up fishing areas to the subsistence fishermen and a dedicated centre to be opened for the unemployed in the harbour.  A budget set aside for our own V&A Waterfront for entertainment and recreation to be developed in the Durban harbour.

We call for a stakeholder committee to be immediately set up with clear terms of reference.

Written by Chadley Joseph

SDCEA Project Officer

No 2 John Dunn House

224 Gouritz Crescent

Austerville, Durban, 4052

031 461 1991

Tongaat Hulletts historical arrogance of ignoring their neighbours pollution complaints comes back to bite.   

A public participation meeting held yesterday 22 May 2017, at the Maidstone Country Club (Tongaat). Concerned community members filled the hall and raised their disputes and worries with the proposed Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP).

Tongaat Hullett formally known for its horrible odours and current mismanagement of its site has over the years significantly impacted on the health of surrounding communities. The health impacts such as asthma and sinusitis have been intensified. The residents accused Tongaat Hullett senior mill manager of being inefficient for having turned a deaf ear to the numerous complaints logged by the community. Amongst the burning issues in question were, “what are the reasons behind this development, why is this proposal to develop now public knowledge when the management committed to close the mill in 2015, Why is this still functioning when the commitment was made to close.

Why expand to treat effluent and waste when the grand plan was to exit the site. It is worrisome when a huge corporate chops and changes their plans for this shows that the company is lacking in sound management. The only understanding the community could come to is an ulterior motive of land been used as a brokering tool, displacing communities and uprooting them for the sole purpose of development and increasing their profit margin.

The Maidstsone residents clearly indicated that the consultants had failed dismally in its public participation process. There has been inadequate clarity surrounding this proposed development. The experts who developed the reports were not present thereby negating any prepared questions the communities had come with to pose to these experts .Their reports were summarized by the consultant who herself just noted down the volumes of questions that needed the responses from the drafters of these reports .Communities stood resolutley that there cannot be a rushed process when there is valued reasons why this EIA process time frame must be extended by a further three months as the residents were not happy to venture into the unknown by allowing this effluent treatment plant to get the go ahead. Critical issues were raised and neither could the consultant nor the Mill Manager answer the questions befittingly.

Communities claimed that the process of this public meeting was flawed on the basis of the consultants hosting a meeting in another area that would not be affected by this development.  The “independent consultants – WSP Environmental” played both referee and player in the EIA process. The residents alluded to the consultants providing insufficient consultation with the affected communities. The meeting was advertised with a small poster in an area far from the affected residents, as a result the meeting was poorly advertised and not placed in local newspapers. Alarmed residents took the initiative to invite the relevant affected parties to this meeting to ensure that those affected could voice their opinions. Communities do not trust Tongaat Hullets and their reasons to build this Effluent Treatment plant for the mere fact that they cannot handle the current emissions being emitted from their site, the dust that collects on people’s homes, cars, and the atrocious odours. Residents reminded Tongaat Hullets Mill Manager Allan that, “Tongaat has a bad History and putrid reputation and has failed the surrounding communities since its construction”.  

Communities came to an agreement and demanded the following to be done:

1.      The Mill manager had agreed with communities on the basis that, a peer review needs to be done and paid for by Tongaat Hullets. That the Mill manager will take this up with his superiors and inform the community in two weeks.  

2.      The community proposed a site visit to see the state of the art technology proposed and where this technology is functioning as stated by the Mill Manager that there is a plant in Prospection. 

3.      The commenting period deadline stipulates that comments need to be made by the 31^st May 2017. Communities opposed this deadline and stated that, this is the first time that they have come to understand this proposed project, and in order for a peer review to be carried out time is needed and therefore we want an added three months extension to accommodate this process. (Tongaat Hullett‘s together with WSP Environmental will negotiate this with the department).

Clairwood Public Meeting- 22 March 2017

Invitation to the KZN Environmental Network Press Conference and People’s Assembly to all community organisations and journalists

Invite to press conference and People’s assembly to all community organisations and journalists

The KZN Environmental Network which includes environmental and social justice organisations invites all journalists and organisations to join us as we are launching the KZN Environmental Network and its program of action against multinational corporations, government and governmental parastatals. In addition to this, a people’s assembly will be held where communities affected will give testimonies to their ongoing struggles they face on a daily basis. 

The theme for these events will be ‘The Seed of Our Struggle’. The topics that will be discussed include water and sanitation, energy, food, land and waste.

We encourage all journalists, members of the public and organisations to attend.

The dates are as follows:

Press conference

Date: 14^th October 2016, Friday

Time: 9am – 10am

Venue: St. Paul’s Church

People’s Assembly

Date: 15^th October 2016, Saturday

Time: 9am – 4pm

Venue: Durban University of Technology (DUT)

We look forward to your presence

The Mercury Newspaper - 26th August 2016: Dig-Out Port option put on hold for a decade

KZN Environmental Network concept note

KZN Environmental Network concept note

Many environmental and community groups in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) working on sustainable development and environmental justice issues and extend to paper mills, petrochemical and chemical industries, mining, agriculture land under sugar cane and timber plantations, big game parks, two major ports, big transport infrastructure associated with the port, etc.

KZN Environmental groups and communities have been both unique and tenacious in challenging both government and industry to address the inequities of pollution and environmental injustice in the province and we have had many successes to date.

To achieve continued success we would like you to discuss and envision a KZN Environmental network programme for 2016 and beyond to continue to build on these strong foundations to build community activism that critiques industry and government developments to secure livelihoods, social justice and a healthy environment for the benefit of all people of KZN. The highlight for 2016 activities would be to create awareness in a form of a rally.

We hope to build upon the work KZN environmental NGOs and communities are already doing with the aim of bringing KZN groups into a KZN Environmental Network with the aim of deepening community participation in environmental governance and advocacy in defence of people’s constitutional right. It will consolidate the network of relationships that enable KZN environmental network to draw on local, national and international resources and engage with complex and often technical issues so as to present well-founded community perspectives to the authorities and industry. In particular the KZN environmental network will advocate for a different development path that replaces fossil fuels with renewable energy, and that focuses on local production for local consumption including in food and manufacturing.

Our 2015 programmes achieved much success with development and infrastructure, climate change and energy, air quality and health and community empowerment. The KZN environmental network group includes SDCEA, groundWork [Friends of the Earth South Africa] , Earthlife Africa eThekwini ,Timberwatch , Biowatch SAFCIE , Greenpeace  and other groups have been active in raising awareness about environmental issues such as climate change, which cuts across and connects many of the other issues such as air quality, health, livelihoods, energy, development, etc. This has included numerous workshops with schools and communities, tribunals, pickets, EIA appeals highlighting the impacts of climate change.

Objective of a KZN Environmental Network:

Environmental justice is effectively integrated within the development vision for KZN:

Aim: Strengthen Environmental network in KZN: This project is centred on developing a strategy for greater collaboration and more effective use of resources. Develop an environmental network group which will comprise community members (specifically the youth), NGOs and community leaders, in KwaZulu Natal, who will mobilize, advocate, network, share experiences and knowledge with each other about pressing environmental issues.

Invitation to KZN Environmental Network Workshop

Invitation to the KZN Environmental network Workshop

The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) would like to invite you to the KZN environmental network workshop on the 27 August 2016 at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The purpose of this workshop is to mobilise environmental and social community groups to collectively join campaigns, share and support each other in our common good to have an environment that is safe, clean and healthy.

We need to look at

a  * A common vision

b  *Common action (rally or something similar)

Date: 27 August 2016

Venue: DUT - Steve Biko Campus - Urban Futures Centre (new S2 building, on level 4)

Time: 9am – 4pm

Noluthando Mbeje

SDCEA environmental Project Officer

thando@sdceango.co.za

031 461 1991

Fishermen's Mentorship and Training workshop - 11 May 2016

Farmers Training workshop - 25 May 2016

Why India is Intriguing and Eye-Opening

Why India is Intriguing and Eye-Opening

The international conference: Rethinking Cities in the Global South, hosted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, brought together activists and town planners from all corners of the world to discuss burning issues of the global south in Mumbai, India. The event was held from the 19^th –23^rd of January, 2015; the objective was to urge attendees to rethink the concept of development, particularly in the context of the developing world. 

From the exciting field trips through the crowded slums, to the vibrant fish markets, I witnessed, firsthand, how poor and marginalised communities are actively finding solutions for their economic plight. The slums and the central business district were alive with people, trading and buying. The mantra that people should be at the centre of economic activity and development is evident. The informal economy is important in India, and the energy from this sector is present from morning till after midnight

.

All people, intersecting age, gender, religion, ethnicity and caste, are active in the informal economy and are self-sufficient. From creative transport systems to productive home industries; people aren’t waiting for a ‘saviour’ to solve their problems. They are hardworking, and very humble. This energy

However, amidst the exuberant culture and buzzing informal economy, is a very corrupt political hierarchy, much like in South Africa. This is evident in the bustling streets of Mumbai, where the divide between rich and poor is like night and day. Plans by government and wealthy businessmen to invest in mega development projects threaten, and further marginalises the poor who have proven that local economies are effective, and that they can grow if given the necessary support by those in power. 

The proposed redevelopment for Mumbai’s waterfront is an example of a mega project which threatens informal economic activities. It is very similar to the dug-out port development, proposed for Durban. These developments plan to enclose public spaces for commercial, thus threating people who largely depend on subsistence livelihoods. 

It was clear at the conference that something needs to be done to stop elite minorities from making decisions which don’t benefit the masses. A different framework of development needs to be adopted by people in the global South, one that is empowering and not disempowering. And like the people of India, South Africans need to unite and fight for a development trajectory that allows for just progress.

Clairwood racecourse, Trucking and now Nuclear.... How much can south durban take?

Clairwood Racecourse, Trucking and now Nuclear…. How much more can south Durban take?

The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and Clairwood Racecourse Action Committee (CRAC) hosted a community meeting on the 16^th August 2015 at the Merebank Community hall. The purpose of this meeting was to highlight the many distresses south Durban is faced with and the proposed deadly Nuclear Development on the Old Durban International Airport.  Roshan Ramdeen welcomed all community members and addressed the crowd on the purpose of the days meeting and its importance. He went on to explain that we have had 3 mass public meetings on the Clairwood Racecourse issue and the purpose of this meeting is to provide an update but also to inform the community about other developments that are planned for South Durban Area and how all these will impact on the lives of surrounding communities and beyond. One such new development is mention of a nuclear plan on the old Durban international airport site. This meeting was also an engagement for people to express their concerns.

Desmond D’Sa (SDCEA Co-ordinator) spoke on the significance of the Clairwood Racecourse. He explained his involvement in the issue of the Clairwood Racecourse and where we are in the process so far what have we done thus far and where we plan on heading regarding the legal case and our campaign mobilization and awareness creation? The demolishing site at the moment should not make us give up. We can still win to make our lives better. The Clairwood racecourse has a lot of biodiversity and endangered species which we must embrace and not further destroy. The trucking will increase; pollution will increase and compromise our health. According to Mr. D’Sa “We are in a legal appeal process but as we wait on the MEC of Economic , tourism and Environment to make the decision, we must  take our collective voices into the streets. The appeal documents are available for review in public libraries of Wentworth and Merebank as well as the eThekwini Municipality Environmental Health office in Clairwood”.

Junagarth Primary School principal spoke on how this development will affect the schools. He has done a little research study himself which he explains in his presentation. A large number of kids at the taxi stop wait for their transports under the bridge at the Clairwood Racecourse and their lives are in danger every day and more after this development goes ahead. His observation and research are the following: 5 schools (Junagarth Primary, St Marys school, Parsee Rustemjee, Merebank Secondary, Settlers Primary). In total there are 3792 learners and 2555 come from outside Merebank and Wentworth, which is 67%. Educators at the 5 schools mentioned number146 in total and out of this number 87 come from outside Merebank and Wentworth (60%). These are alarming figures and risk the lives of many. According to the principal, “The safety of our kids is at stake and we cannot afford to sit back and allow it to destroy our lives. There will traffic congestion and school kids will be late, educators will be late, then how is schools supposed to managed and run. This is robbing kids of the opportunity to a fair education’.

Priya Pillay (SDCEA Environmental Project Officer – Infrastructure and Development) gave a presentation on what will that development mean to our society and community and how it will impact on our lives daily. She showed a power point presentation of all the ramification of this development touching on all the pressing issue that need to be considered looking at the effects of this in our neighborhood. She spoke about the traffic concerns and the increase in trucking and how this will threaten the lives of people and especially kids daily. Ms. Pillay expressed her disappointment, “Looking at the audience it was sad to realize that no youth was there, and went on to say that they are the future generation and they need to be at the forefront of these issues because their parents and grandparents can take up the struggle today but who is going to take it up in the future, they need to be more active and participate”. The Clairwood racecourse is 95 years old. It is a legacy and that all that beauty and green space will be destroyed all in the name of profit. This development is unacceptable and we cannot allow big business to take over our lives. She emphasized that we need to stand up and be heard otherwise there will be nothing to show to our kids only what they will  learn about in their history books

Noluthando Mbeje (Environmental Project Officer – Communications, Energy and Health) gave an extremely powerful presentation introducing us to a new development that is intended for South Durban which is a nuclear plant. She explained what a nuclear plan or nuclear energy is and went on to speak about the impacts it can have on society. This development is expected to generate electricity for industries and this means a big threat to people. It costs 1 Trillion rand and in South Africa will end up being about 4 trillion and we cannot afford this type finance. Her presentation consisted of pictures depicting the effects of nuclear disasters on humans and animals which was very disturbing but eye opening to the realities that can occur. She spoke about the nuclear disasters in places such as the Three Mile Islands and Chernobyl in Russia (worst in the history of Nuclear) as well as the most recent one, in Japan Fukushima and how people from there are still experiencing the effects even today and we do not want to be on that list. According to Ms. Mbeje “South Africa can’t expect to walk into a fire and not get burnt”.

The floor was opened for discussions.  The burning issue was on youth involvement as their lives are going to be altered. The residents were motivating and encouraging each other to keep moving forward and fighting this Development. ‘No matter how big the obstacles are we can win and make a difference’; ‘We cannot afford to sit back’, ‘Let’s take these concerns to our places of worship for support and assistance. God is more powerful than any business’. The discussion was closed off with the question of ‘How much more can Merebank take?’

The meeting was closed off with the following way forward: the communities of south Durban will unite and never give up!