Stop the Durban Port Expansion Project

March 27, 2014

Help us to persuade the South African Government to drop the South Durban Port and Petro-Chemical Expansion for the betterment of local communities and society at large, and, if they disagree, launch divestment and financial sanctions campaigns against TransNet, Shell, BP, Engen and other companies involved.

In the port city of Durban, South Africa, petrochemical conglomerates are pushing a USD $25 million Dig-Out Port expansion project that will wreak untold havoc on the surrounding communities’ ecology, economy and safety. Among the goals of the expansion: to double the city’s oil refining capacity and increase the traffic of shipping containers from 2.5 million per year to 20 million by 2040. Here is just some of the anticipated impact that the expansion will have.

Clairwood Racecourse is one of the few remaining natural areas in Durban. It is a refuge for plants, animals and several endangered species. If the mega-project goes according to plan, this particular stretch of natural resources will be turned into a trucking logistics site that will add nearly 2,000 trucks to the streets every day. This will not only mean the loss of one of South Durban’s few remaining recreational areas, but also more pollution, traffic and damage to roads and infrastructure.
Many residents will be displaced when areas like Clairwood, Merebank, Wentworth, Mobeni West, Lower Glenwood are rezoned for industries associated with the port expansion. Farmers and farmworkers from the surrounding areas already have been told that they are being evicted to make way for the expansion. Little consideration is being given to the jobs and small businesses that will be destroyed by this project.
Pollution and toxic chemical emissions have compromised the health of thousands of South Durban residents for decades. Children from one primary school in Wentworth suffer high rates of asthma and leukemia, due to nearby toxic industries. These problems will only be exacerbated by the massive increase in polluting industries ushered in by this expansion.
Increased risk of climate change impacts, such as sea-level rise and coastal storm surges, could result from the Port expansion’s alteration of the natural landscape.

This project will threaten the homes, health and livelihood of thousands. Thousand Currents partner SDCEA and other environmental groups are working hard to stop the large petro-chemical and shipping corporations from moving forward with the expansion without concern for the displacement, job loss and ecological damage it will cause. Join us in calling for sustainable and environmentally sound alternative development that puts people over profit.

*Thousand Currents changed its name from IDEX in 2016