Activist to speak on green issues

WHAT are the threats to the environment and how do we tackle them?

This will be the theme covered by environmental activist Desmond D’Sa, of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, who will be the guest speaker at The Botanical Society of SA’s KwaZuluNatal coastal branch’s next educational talk.

It takes place on August 27 at the Durban Botanic Gardens visitors centre.

D’Sa’s motto is “the right to know, the duty to inquire, the obligation to act” and will speak about the injustices that have faced the south Durban community.

Some of the issues that D’Sa and the team at the alliance have tackled include air pollution, trucking, offshore gas and oil exploration drilling, the proposed port development, Clairwood Park development, and the rights of market gardeners and fishermen.

D’Sa’s work won him the 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize, which acknowledges unsung heroes, and he was the recipient of an honorary doctorate in Health Sciences from the Durban University of Technology in 2015.

The talk starts at 5.30pm for 6pm. Entrance, including tea, is R30 for Botanical Society members, R50 for non-members, and R20 for students. There is no need to book.

For inquiries, email: botsoc-kzn@mweb.co.za, call 031 201 5111 or 071 869 3693.

BONDING: Carla Geyser spends time with a young elephant at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Orphanage in Kenya. She is leading the all women ‘Rise of the Matriarch’ expedition to raise awareness around elephant poaching.

DESMOND D’SA

EMPATHY: Geyser and Dr Coobus Raath take blood for DNA testing.