Activists appeal against Clairwood development

THE Clairwood Racecourse Action Committee has handed in its final appeal against the development of the Clairwood Racecourse property into a trucking and logistics centre.

The committee and community members from South Durban, whose lives will be greatly impacted by the traffic that will increase on the roads children use to walk to school, gathered at the Marine Building in Durban to hand in the final appeal to a city official in opposition to the development of what they call a precious piece of land into an obtrusive logistics centre.

The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) organised and obtained the appropriate permits for a demonstration in front of the Marine Building in an act of solidarity against this development, and were angered when no representative from the Ministry of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs was available to receive the document.

According to a representative from the SDCEA, the minister was informed in advance that they intended to hand over the appeal, but in his absence, the other officials refused to leave their office floor.

The appeal document highlighted the community’s concerns with the development, including dangerous traffic, noise pollution, environmental emissions, the loss of a crucial emergency gathering space for the community and destruction of biodiversity, all of which occurred in a residential area. It is the opinion of SDCEA that this sort of industrial development in a residential area is highly illegal and the government is remiss in its disregard for the people it is supposed to be protecting.

Also attached in the appeal were letters of disapproval from community organisations and churches, an online petition that garnered almost 100 signatures, including international participants, and petitions from individual homeowners in the community.