Residents call for transparency at UPL march in eMdloti
Affected communities from Blackburn Village, Durban North and Phoenix also joined in to protest over a chemical spill at the UPL Warehouse in Cornubia, after it was set on fire during the KZN unrest in July.
SHOUTS of ‘down UPL, down’ and ‘UPL go to jail’ rang out on Heritage Day as members of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and the UPL Cornubia Fire Civil Society Action Group joined forces to march through the streets of eMdloti in a call for accountability from United Phosphorus Limited (UPL).
Affected communities from Blackburn Village, Durban North and Phoenix also joined in to protest over a chemical spill at the UPL Warehouse in Cornubia, after it was set on fire during the KZN unrest in July.
While a final report into the spill is expected to be completed by the end of September by the Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment ministry, protesters called for more charges to be laid against the multinational company.
According to environmental activists and Desmond D’sa, head of the SDCEA, the chemical spill has had serious consequences for both people and the environment, including on the air, soil, freshwater and the ocean itself.
“We saw what happened following the fire at the UPL warehouse, toxic smoke billowed into the air and chemicals killed tons of fish in the Ohlanga River and led to beaches being closed. We demand accountability from the government and UPL and we are concerned about the potential long-term effects of the spill.
“We want to challenge this government and the corporation who has failed the people of Durban North, eMdloti, uMhlanga, Blackburn Village and Phoenix to name a few. We are here to send a message that we want the CEO of UPL to go to jail,” D’sa said.
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