Des honoured by DUT
Activist, Des D'Sa, was conferred with an honorary doctorate at DUT's graduation ceremony last week.
LOCAL activist and Durban’s 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize winner, Desmond D’Sa, received an Honorary Doctorate in Health Sciences from the Durban University of Technology on Wednesday 2 September.
The Honorary Doctorate is in honour of D’Sa’s role as a leading advocate and spokesman for social and environmental justice.
In his acceptance speech, D'Sa said it was a great privilege and honour to be bestowed with this prestigious honorary doctorate from the Durban University of Technology.
“When I first received this good news, I was overwhelmed with excitement and a sense of accomplishment which I never thought I would achieve. Coming from a home with a large family, there were many sacrifices that we had to endure and one such was the circumstances that disallowed me to further my education. However, that did not stop me from learning, gaining knowledge from all aspects of life, understanding many things in order to grow intellectually,” he said.
He said ironically, it was industry that introduced him to the horrors of environmental injustices and when he started with issues of community consciousness, he was constantly told by industry bosses and many others that they didn't need people like him in this world.
“But I pursued my convictions, often going against a lot of advice, even my own family and friends. People said that I would be taking on giants, I’m not going to win and I will be marginalized. This did not stop me from fighting for justice, truth and people. While so much has been accomplished thus far, there are still many challenges that face us and will face us in future, therefore I aim at encouraging all future generations to stand up for their rights and never give up irrespective of how big a challenge it may seem,” he asid.
He said the award meant a lot to him and he was grateful to DUT and specifically Prof Faizal Bux for nominating him and recognising the efforts that go into his type of work which he does passionately and fearlessly every day.
“For me the work that I do is more than just a job, it is my life and I applaud those who have stood beside me through the good and the bad. I accept this honorary doctorate with utmost humility, gratitude and pride,” he said.
The Goldman Environmental Prize award, which is an environmental equivalent of a Nobel Prize or Oscar, honours grassroots environmental activists from around the world, with previous winners including the late Kenyan activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai and Ken Saro Wiwa, who was hanged by the Nigerian military junta following his campaigns against pollution of the Niger Delta by Royal Dutch Shell and other multinational oil companies.
D’Sa was also awarded $175 000 in prize money, the bulk of which he committed towards continuing the fight for environmental justice.
As a young man, D’Sa worked in the industries of South Durban where he witnessed the disregard for people’s health and the environment. This was the spark that set alight his ambition as an outspoken social and environmental activist.
D’Sa’s career as an activist began with the lobbying for parks and playgrounds to keep Wentworth children away from gangsterism and drugs. His work would lead to the formation of the Wentworth Development Forum. Later, D’Sa’s efforts and those of others would lead to the formation of the South Durban Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) which, for the first time, united racially-diverse communities of Wentworth, Merebank and the Bluff in the constitutional fight for a healthy environment.
Through its persistent lobbying, SDCEA was successful in shutting down three hazardous South Durban based landfill sites. D’Sa’s efforts have also saved farmers who were facing eviction from Durban’s old airport site.
Today, the SDCEA continues to be a watchdog and champion for environmental and human rights, with D’Sa sights currently set on fighting the expansion of Durban’s port, a $10-billion project that reportedly stands to displace thousands of people without compensation and exacerbate problems such as waste management, pollution and traffic.
