THIS morning’s (Wednesday, 26 September) cancer walk through the streets of Wentworth drew about 100 people, despite the driving rain which showered the area.
The almost annual event ended outside Engen Refinery in Tara Road, where a memorandum was handed over with a call for the refineries to take ownership of the pollution they are emitting into the atmosphere.
READ: Toxic City brings industries to book
“The cancer walk is about the risks the communities face daily. We have buried over 300 Wentworth people this year due to cancer.”
“We suspect that Lamontville, Wentworth, Bluff, and Merebank are the areas with high levels of cancer and leukemia and the highest of benzene, a chemical that causes cancer,” said South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) director Desmond D’Sa.
READ: SDCEA hosts cancer meeting after high benzene levels noted in South Durban
The cancer walk also aimed to bring awareness to one of SDCEA’s demands contained in the memorandum, which is to have a 24-hour asthma and cancer clinic set up with fully operational staff and paid for by the industries which are responsible for the pollution. “We have been fighting for this clinic since 1994 and were encouraged by Nelson Mandela himself to never stop fighting,” added D’Sa.
