of environmental advocacy

The levels of asthma in South Durban were among the highest recorded in global medical literature.

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When a major spillage of chemical and pesticide at the UPL warehouse in Cornubia led to the closure of beaches north of Durban in July 2021, SDCEA coordinator Desmond D'Sa mounted a campaign to compensate subsistence fisherfolk, along with communities exposed to toxic fumes in the adjoining Blackburn informal settlement.

(Tony Carnie)

The same study also recorded “substantial levels” of benzene and other cancer-causing air pollution emissions in South Durban.

Earlier, with support from California-based activist Denny Larson, SDCEA volunteers had formed a “bucket brigade” to collect low-cost air pollution samples using sealed nappy buckets and other equipment that could be bought at most hardware stores.

What sets Des apart as a leader is his humanity. He has always believed that people matter. He refuses to accept that injustice is “normal”.

Later, with financial support from the Norwegian government, the eThekwini community health department established one of the country’s most extensive air quality monitoring networks, which also linked the licensing of Durban industrial plants to progressive reductions in pollution levels.