Environmental Justice
Action in Southern Africa
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Environmental Justice
Action in Southern Africa |
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Press Release - 16th July 2002 Communities step up a gear to tackle industrial pollution You
can taste SASOL on your lips, even if you are living in Parys. This is what Free
State MPP, Tate Makgoe, said concerning the impact of industrial pollution on
residents. Industrial pollution knows no boundaries. Community members from a
number of industrial areas in Southern Africa came together in Sasolburg over
the past weekend to develop a strategy for civil society to tackle industrial
air pollution. Yesterday, Monday the 15th July, this strategy was presented to
high profile government, representatives. The
workshop, convened by groundWork,
brought together residents from Sasolburg, Secunda, Cape Town (Table View and
Joe Slovo communities), South Durban, Mozambique and Swaziland. The
workshop included a toxic tour of Sasolburg, hosted by the Sasolburg
Environmental Committee, on Sunday. After the toxic tour, all participants
agreed that Sasolburg is by far the worst polluted town in Southern Africa.
Seipate Mokoka, a resident from Sasolburg who got involved in the struggle
against industrial pollution when her daughter continuously suffered from
respiratory illnesses, informed participants that what they witnessed is a daily
occurrence for Sasolburg residents. Bulelwa
Madolo from Cape Town said: “What we have seen today is really bad. It is as
if none cares about Sasolburg because it is not a tourist destination.” The
main outcome of the workshop was the development of a five-point strategy for
tackling industrial air pollution in South Africa. The strategy is based on the
principle that communities affected by industrial air pollution are better able
to defend and promote their environmental interests at local, national and
international levels. It is premised on a belief that communities have much to
contribute in the quest for cleaner air and a healthier environment. (See
below.) Participants
welcomed the initiative by government to develop new air quality legislation to
replace outdated legislation favouring industry at the expense of people’s
health. (A draft bill on air quality is expected to be released for public
comment later this year.) Participants
also debunked the myths created by industry (especially SASOL) who claim that
residents through burning cheap coal for heat and cooking purposes are mostly to
blame for pollution. Patrick Duma from Embalenhle, Secunda, emphasized that the
harmful chemicals found in recent community air samples came from industrial
processes. And after all, Sasol sells the cheap coal to communities. They are
now using gas to run their refineries, why can’t they provide this cleaner
fuel to communities. Workshop
participant, Ann Marie Jordaan, from the Table View Residents Association asked
why, if the government could pass and enforce strict laws on cigarette smoking,
could government not regulate refineries and other chemical industries that
release far more and much worse toxics. The
national air quality strategy developed over the weekend consists of five
pillars, namely:
The
strategy was developed to enable communities to:
For
more information contact Ardiel Soeker (groundWork’s
Air Quality Coordinator) on 082 940 8669 or Bobby Peek (groundWork’s
director) on 033-342 5662.
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