Environmental activists in the Durban South Basin want harsher sentences imposed on companies responsible for air pollution.
The area borders on a huge industrial area. Oil spills are a regular occurrence.
Communities here say the air is polluted by toxic chemicals, asthma and cancer common disease in the Durban south basin.
Activists say pollution tax has proven not to be a deterrent. Communities blame authorities for being lenient towards the perpetrators.
“The companies are supposed to move away from here. Not the people because if you were born and brought up here do you think you will leave your place and go? No ways and I will tell them that I will never leave this place even if I had to die,” says resident, Anjalay Govender.
Activists want government to reintroduce stringent regulations. They say taxes and fines are not enough.
“If you were to fine for example 100 or 10 000 such a big corporation that makes about 48 million profit a day really do you think that these industries will comply and feel the pinch and listen… to them, government is a joke,” says South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, Bongani Mthembu.
Efforts to get reaction from government were fruitless.
