During the insurrection, businesses were looted and burnt caused by the Kwazulu Natal political protests the past few months; any business was a target in any suburb – but Springfield, Riverhorse Valley, and Conubia bore the brunt of the destruction. UPL is situated in Cornubia, just 17kms from my home. During the riots, everyone stayed at home for their safety and suburbs were blockaded by the community.
We were soon overwhelmed by a highly toxic stench that seemed to smother us. Our eyes and throats were burning, and breathing was difficult; we were all gasping for a breath of fresh air. We were forced to barricade ourselves in our homes to keep the overwhelming chemical smell out. Wet towels were crammed into the gaps on doors and windows to keep the toxic fumes out of our homes.
By daybreak, there were reports of hundreds of marine species being washed ashore. Soon after, we found that the fire department had been trying to extinguish the UPL fires. But because UPL were tight-lipped on the nature of the chemicals stored in their Cornubia warehouse, incorrect procedures to extinguish the flames were used, and the toxic waste was washed into the municipal water system and into the sea.
An environmental disaster was unfolding before my eyes. Furious, I headed straight to VUMA.EARTH platform. It was, in my opinion, my best and only hope for action to be taken against UPL and the devastation caused by their chemical spill. I could use the platform to mobilise the countless others who were choked by UPL’s negligence. Together, we could hold them accountable.
It was pointless targeting the directors of UPL: the company is a foreign-owned company with its directors sitting in India, so my targets were the Municipal Manager and the Mayor of eThekwini. How could toxic chemicals be stored in a warehouse without permits? I wanted the company to be held accountable.
There were obstacles. The petition needed to be handed over to the municipal manager and/or mayor, all at a time when eThekwini was having municipal elections with a lot of uncertainties happening at the municipal level. UPL was less than forthcoming with information. But despite the challenges before us, arrangements were made with the mayor’s PA and the petition was accepted.
We gathered a significant number of signatures on our petition. And the signatures weren’t only from Durban locals that were impacted. Still, with the help of Greenpeace Africa amplifying my petition on their various platforms, I reached people nationally and internationally who saw the injustice through our eyes and wanted the same justice we did.
I am happy to report that precisely a year after the devastating chemical fires, not only has the eThekwini Municipality held UPL accountable, but the provincial and national governments have followed suit.
Unfortunately, as my petition heading suggests, we still don’t know the long-term consequences to the sensitive ecosystems that were impacted by the fires. The entire river system is a dead zone, from plants and aquatic to birdlife; the majority were suffocated to death or just died off… anything that survived the chemical spill will never be the same. We don’t know how the chemicals will affect human, flora and fauna reproduction with the highly toxic chemicals they were exposed to.
But, we are supported by each other in the face of these long-term impacts. I know that by having even a single voice, VUMA.EARTH will make my voice and concerns louder, and my social justice and environmental concerns will reach others. The way that we make a change hold big polluters accountable, and make a just future for all of us, is together.