FOLLOWING last week’s fireworks celebrations, residents have rallied to ban the sale and use of these explosives in eThekwini. Fed up with, what they called ‘the yearly destruction caused by these festivities’, two local residents, Andrea Ording-Jespersen, a Durban North resident, and Di Kendall from Westville, initiated a petition on Facebook – Petitioning Fireworks eThekwini.
The aim, said Kendall, was to collect as many signed petitions as possible. To date, the group has garnered more than 2 400 members on the site, but the duo has appealed to the members and other anti-firework community members to print and collect signed petitions as the online petitions are not accepted by government.
“We started the petition not only for animals who suffer during bursting of fireworks but also for children, the elderly and the general community. Fireworks need to be noted as dangerous, besides being a nuisance,” she said.
The idea for the petition was ignited when Ording-Jespersen received an overwhelming response to ban fireworks in the Mvoti community. Soon the initiative snowballed into an online petition.
“We thought that bleating on Facebook is not going to help. We need to drive this while our community is up in arms. We can not continue to just moan. If the Dolphin Coast can ban fireworks, then so can we. And we will. Let us for once enforce the law that is currently in place,” said Ording-Jespersen.
Last week tensions mounted as residents aired their grievances on social media.
Related articles:
‘Make Durban North big bang-free’
Durban North resident appeals: No loud bangs
Get ready for ‘big bang’ period
