PRESS
RELEASE - 4 September 2002
Sasolburg community raises concerns around Sasol's
pollution with Scotland's First Minister
(South Africa): Yesterday, residents of the Free State town of Sasolburg
met with the First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell to share
their grievances and concerns around the impacts of the operations
of chemical and oil giant Sasol on the environs and people of
Sasolburg.
Mr McConnell is in SA attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Sasol has recently invested in his homeland, and he agreed to
make a courtesy call at the Sasol head quarters in Sasolburg.
While Sasol, no doubt, pulled out the "red carpet" for
the First Minister, laying on delicious food and beverages and
painting a rosy picture of Sasol's chemical and industrial genius,
those on the outside - the disgruntled community members - gave
another side to the story.
Before meeting with Sasol, Mr McConnell and five of his advisors met with members
of the Sasolburg Environmental Committee, Mayor Ndaba, and representatives
from NGOs groundWork and Friends of the Earth, Scotland.
Nicholas Kasa, the Secretary of the Sasolburg Environmental Committee, eloquently
conveyed to the First Minister the many negative impacts Sasol's
operations have had on the surrounding environment and communities.
He spoke of health problems in the area, of bad smells when the
wind blows from the Sasol plants towards the community, and of
regular industrial accidents, flaring, fires explosions.
McConnell was also taken to a nearby home to meet with a young child whose
legs had to be amputated after being baldy burnt when a Sasol
truck was involved in an accident and spilled hazardous chemicals
on the side of the road in 1998.
According to Mr Bobby Peek of groundWork, it was a very fruitful meeting.
Mr McConnell promised that he would raise the community's concerns
with Sasol when he met the company's management immediately after
meeting with the community.
"We also asked Mr McConnell to request that Sasol supply natural gas (through
underground gas pipeline networks) to homes in the greater Sasolburg
area, so that the poor residents no longer have to burn cheap
coal in their homes", said Peek.
Ardiel Soeker, of groundWork, said that his organisation and the community
had taken several air samples in the area over the past two years.
These showed that were high levels of many toxic pollutants in
the air in Sasolburg. He said that Sasol has attempted to blame
this pollution on the poor people who burn coal in their homes
for heat and energy.
" We are working closely with the local community on an ongoing basis
to assist them where ever possible with pollution problems, as
well as to link them up with overseas communities in the globalised
struggle against pollution", said Soeker.
For more information contact:
Nicholas Kasa: 073 187 6393
Bobby Peek: 082 464 1383.
Ardiel Soeker: 082 940 8669
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