Renowned environmental activist and two family members killed in car crash - TimesLIVE

Tributes have been pouring in for internationally acclaimed environmental activist Desmond D’Sa, who died in a car accident on Thursday.

D’Sa, 70, who worked at the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), died in a crash on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, where he lived.

Two family members in the vehicle were also killed while travelling to the SCDEA offices in Wentworth.

The community organiser and Goldman Environmental Prize winner helped residents challenge industrial pollution, which closed a hazardous-waste landfill in Bulbul Drive, Chatsworth.

According to Goldman Environmental, D’Sa helped residents scrutinise expansion plans and access legal advice. He also trained communities to collect air samples using relatively simple equipment, giving them a way to document their exposure.

As a result, the operator withdrew its expansion application in August 2010 and the landfill closed in November 2011, culminating with D’Sa being awarded the prize in 2014.

But his activism came at a personal cost when shortly after this, unknown assailants firebombed his home, leaving him with burns, destroying possessions and traumatising his family.

Born in Cato Manor in 1956, D’Sa grew up with 12 siblings. His family’s forced removal to Wentworth brought him into the industrial neighbourhoods that would become the centre of his work.

His biography on SDCEA’s website traces a working life that began in 1971 and included years in the textile industry.

He later worked at Durban Fibres and Sasol’s Isipingo plant, becoming a trade unionist and learning about the risks chemicals posed to workers and neighbouring households.

As a safety and risk officer, the factory work gave him an understanding of the industries he would challenge, and of the people whose livelihoods depended on them.

“We are not anti-development, but we are anti-air pollution. We welcome sustainable development,” he said in the SDCEA biography.

His community organising extended beyond pollution.

Through the Wentworth Development Forum, he helped create public meetings where residents could raise problems and seek solutions together.

Durban University of Technology’s account of his work also describes early efforts to secure parks and playgrounds to keep children away from gangs and drugs.

SDCEA brought together communities across south Durban, including Wentworth, Merebank, Umlazi, Isipingo and the Bluff. Its work linked environmental concerns with human rights and encouraged residents to participate in decisions affecting their neighbourhoods.

His SDCEA biography recounts how he acquired shares in multinational companies so he could question their boards at shareholder meetings overseas. The concerns of people living alongside industrial plants could then be put directly to company leaders.

D’Sa was awarded the 2013 Diakonia Human Rights Award and an honorary doctorate in health sciences from Durban University of Technology, in September 2015.

Accepting the doctorate, he spoke about the sacrifices that had interrupted his education and the knowledge he had gained through life and work. He encouraged graduates to persist despite the obstacles they faced.

“For me, this is more than just a job. It’s my life,” he said at the ceremony, according to the university’s account.

His SCDEA colleagues said they were reeling from the news of D’Sa’s death and couldn’t comment.

Among the tributes was one from humanitarian activist Lubna Nadvi who said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Desmond D’SA who was a dear friend and comrade of mine and of the Palestine Solidarity movement. His work on environmental awareness and education and with SDCEA was outstanding.

“We met recently at a book launch co hosted by Abahlali basemjondolo and Groundwork. He always made time to support the Palestinian cause.