MORE than R100K was raised in support of conservation work through a three-course-dinner fundraiser at the Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel, recently.
The event was hosted by Action COACH Inala in support of Save our Rivers and Sea from Sewage (SORS-FS) with Jean-Marc Tostee of Surf HQ, Janet Simpkins from Adopt a River, and Joshua Redman from The Litterboom Project among the attendees.
Jean-Marc Tostee, who is on the SORS-FS committee, said funds were raised to conduct water testing to aid in a court case that SORS-FS is undertaking against the eThekwini Municipality following ongoing E. coli spills affecting the Durban coast.
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“It’s an ongoing process. At this stage, our initial need for income was to pay a top water expert based in Pretoria to test water quality. We need an expert option in order to take matters to court. She will analyse why levels of E. coli are so high around certain sewerage pumps and suggest a workable timeframe for this to be fixed,” he said.
He added that the SORS-FS committee includes an extensive legal team. “The SORS-FS committee is made up of multiple attorneys, advocates, senior advocates and retired prosecutors who are all representing SORS-FS at no charge,” said Tostee.
Tostee said the fundraising target was R60K – an amount that was almost doubled.
“The target was to raise R60K, and we almost doubled this figure. Funds were collected on the night through ticket sales and donations. We had a lot of support. Tickets sold out quickly, and some people chose to donate even if they couldn’t get a ticket,” said Tostee.
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Funds were raised through ticket sales to the dinner event, as well as the auction of several surfboards.
“What an awesome event it was, and thanks go out to everyone who took action and attended the event. Plus everyone who made donations or supported the auction. You have already made such a huge difference in the future of your city,” said Shane Driver of Action COACH Inala.
He added that the exact amount raised was still being tallied as donations continued to pour in.
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