Begun in 1995, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) is a democratic coalition of members of several communities who have struggled together to bring higher environmental standards to the industries and communities that cohabit South Durban. Looking to the future, SDCEA seeks a more sustainable South Durban and Durban that ensures the environmental health of the human and natural environment in close proximity to clean industry.
SDCEA involves communities from all of South Durban, especially Wentworth, Merebank, Bluff, Isipingo, and Umlazi but also includes the environmental concerns of the communities in Umbogintwini, Umbokodeweni, Athlone Park, Malukazi, and Clairwood.
See Maps and Information about the Communities
SDCEA's goals and objectives are:
- To protect and ensure an environment conducive to positive well-being of the citizenry
- To promote "clean" development that aids local job creation
- To protect resources for present and future generations
(Adapted from presentation to the South African Parliament, June 2002)
The SDCEA Logo
The SDCEA logo was designed by Deva Govindsamy, a long-time environmental activist from Merebank. The core at the center symbolises the strength and focus that must come from the organisation. The spikes show both a vitality and tension, going both inward and outward. The energy from the communities vitalizes the center, from which emanates a harmony of the whole as well as an impact even beyond the circumference of the affected communities. In African tradition, communication often occurs in the circle, an almost unbreakable shape. In mystical tradition, yellow represents intelligence, and green represents the dynamics of relationship and humankind's capacity to use its intelligence for good.
Digital Adaptation of Logo by Mark Root-Wiley
