The environmental watchdog organisation was started on 11 November 1995 as a way to defend the rights of residents.
“United in their cause against intolerable pollution levels and the industrial sources of that pollution in the SDB, this group of dedicated individuals formed the SDCEA to campaign for an environment in which they could live, work and play without damage to their health and well-being,” said SDCEA.
The organisation has remained committed to its vision to ‘unite, capacitate and add value to communities and the initiatives of participating organisations, for the advancement of environmental and social justice, and to ensure development and practises that are sustainable and just’ and 21 years later, has grown to form an alliance of 19 community organisations which has received global recognition, including the international Goldman Environmental Award being presented to two of the founding members – Bobby Peek in 1998 and Desmond D’Sa in 2014.
“As SDCEA marks 21 years in the fight for environmental and social justice, the organisation pays tribute to the many activists, from housewives to academics, who all contributed to its achievements over the past two decades,” SDCEA co-ordinator, Desmond D’Sa.
Among the long list of accolades, SDCEA counts the closure of three toxic dumps in Merebank, Umlazi and Chatsworth; the reduction of Engen’s sulphur dioxide emissions by 80%; the replacement of Shell and BP’s aging underground fuel pipelines; collating the first public air pollution samples in the country and pushing government to develop the first democratic air pollution legislation focused on protecting people’s health as some of its most notable accomplishments.
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