Press Release
Monday, April 8, 2002

 Call for a ban on incineration in the Southern Africa region

After a three-day strategic meeting and a day-long dialogue with government political representatives and officials, civil society representatives from Southern Africa called for a ban on incineration to be implemented by 2006.

Civil society’s call for the ban was further inspired after being addressed by the Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism, Rejoice Mabudafasi on Monday morning.  She indicated that the South African government will ratify the Stockholm Convention before the world Summit on Sustainable Development.

"This is a positive political statement from a southern government leader,” states Manny Calonzo, Assistant Southern Coordinator of the Global Anti Incineration Alliance, based in Manila, Philippines. Manny Calonzo was present at the civil society gathering to share the global anti-incineration strategy and call for alternatives to medical waste management, rather than just incineration.  The Philippine government banned incineration in 1999.  (see www.bwf.org)

Llewellyn Leonard, coordinator of the groundWork Health Care Waste and Incineration programme supported the Kwa Zulu-Natal government’s programme on closing all hospital incinerators.

The outcomes of the three day civil society meeting led to the adoption of the:

Isipingo Declaration on eliminating the harmful impacts of health care waste and incinerators in Southern African communities.

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