Exchanging Histories, Sharing the Future:
Jean Sindab Environmental Justice Delegation to South Africa
In July/August 1996, eight environmental justice leaders from the United States traveled to South Africa to conduct workshops and trainings, and to gather further information about the environmental legacies of apartheid. This trip aimed to share ideas, strategies, and experiences, and to learn from the rich history of anti-apartheid struggles. The US delegation visited sites such as Merewent in Kwazulu-Natal, Alexandra township in Johannesburg, squatter camps in the Western Cape, and the notorious mercury-poisoning Thor Chemicals factory in Cato Ridge. Meetings were held with local groups as well as NGOs and organizations that are part of the emerging environmental justice movement in South Africa. We also met with senior government officials and decision-makers. SAEPEJ's allies in South Africa including the Environmental Justice Networking Forum, Group for Environmental Monitoring and the Environmental Monitoring Group hosted the group in all the major cities. This rewarding and productive trip has inspired SAEPEJ to plan more people-to-people exchanges.
Delegation participants with local EJNF host in South Durban holding a map of all the polluting sites (l -- r): Mbaweni Manqele, Environmental Justice Networking Forum (South Africa), Sha-King Alston, Family, Community & Environment Program, U. Mass. Lowell; Robert Bullard, Environmental Justice Resource Center; Pam Tau-Lee, Asian Pacific Environmental Network; Heeten Kalan, SAEPEJ; Richard Moore, Southwest Network on Environmental and Economic Justice; Cindy Ko, SAEPEJ; Vernice Miller, Natural Resources Defence Council, Environmental Justice Program; Ng'ethe Maina, EEJP/AGENDA; Beverly Wright, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice; Deeohn Ferris, Washington Office on Environmental Justice.
(Photo by Bobby Peek, courtesy of Vernice Miller)