Youth take to the streets to raise climate crisis awareness
The march started at Botha Gardens and proceeded to the Durban City Hall and was held to highlight the concerns of offshore drilling and other pollutants.
AS part of the Global Africa Day of Action, Durban’s youth and environmentalists embarked on a march to raise awareness about the contribution fossil fuels have on the climate.
The event was hosted by the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), in collaboration with a number of organisations and communities from Merebank, Umkomaas, Ntuzuma, and Wentworth.
The organisations included Ubunye Bama Hostela (UBH), Abahlali BaseMjondolo (ABM), Market Users Committee (MUC), Mtubatuba Community Environmental Justice Organisation (MCEJO), Anti-Pollution Watch Dog’s, KZN Subsistence Fishers Forum, Green Thumb Society (GTS), Poor Flat Dwellers Movement and Mam Ntombela’s Girls.
The initiative attracted about 1 000 protesters from across KwaZulu-Natal who are concerned about the proposed projects that would be detrimental to the environment as well as their communities.
The march, the began at Botha Gardens and made its way to Durban City Hall, highlighted the concerns against offshore drilling, other pollutants as well as the ongoing struggle for environmental justice for poor and marginalised people.
“We are not prepared to accept the delayed tactics insinuated by the government and polluting corporations as time is running out and the climate crisis is affecting the poorest of the poor who are unemployed, suffer from hunger and are not responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions from profit polluting companies,” said the SDCEA office coordinator, Desmond D’Sa.
SDCEA’s media and communications officer, Joanne Groom said that the march, live-streamed across multiple social media platforms, was successful in terms of relaying the message to the public.
SDCEA’s air quality officer, Bongani Mthembu said it was the first time he had experienced City officials arrive on time to receive the memorandum, which he felt indicated the seriousness of the organisation’s march as well as the climate crisis at hand.
Members from national and provincial government attended the event and signed the memorandum handed to them by the environmental alliance.
