SDCEA’s Durban July protest action halted
SDCEA planned to have more than 500 people at the protest.
THE planned protest action at the Vodacom Durban July by the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) was blocked by a high court ruling on Friday, 3 July.
Aiming to raise their concerns about the sale and development of Clairwood Racecourse, SDCEA and affiliated groups planned to protest outside the Greyville Racecourse on Saturday, 4 July during the Durban July horse race.
In court proceedings on Friday, judge Nompumulelo Radebe refused SDCEA’s call to overturn the municipality’s banning of the protest.
“It is shocking. It is just bad and I don’t understand the call to stop our protest. There were no grounds for the refusal both by the municipality and the judge,” said SDCEA co-ordinator, Desmond D’Sa of the ruling.
SDCEA planned to have more than 500 people at the protest. “We could have gone there without asking for permission and picketed with 14 people. We were told we could not hold the protest because there would be high profile people there. What does that have to do with our protest?”
The denial of this protest has not stopped SDCEA, however, and they plan to appeal the ruling.
“We will protest and we will bring our message to people so they know what is going on. We will not stop,” said D’Sa.
