Hamba kahle, Baba uDladla
21 October 2015 at 9:20 am
Mr Gednezar Dladla (Photo: Trevor Barrett)
Last weekend, respected KwaZulu-Natal environmental justice activist Gednezar Dladla passed away after a short battle with cancer. Mr Dladla was one of the founding members and a current member of the steering committee of the Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network of South Africa.
Mr Dladla was a tireless campaigner for the environmental rights of his community. In 2014, he participated in the making of a short film called Stand Up For Your Rights, in which he spoke about the broken promises mining brought to his community, and called on government to protect the Constitutional rights of mining-affected communities. You can watch this film below.
The attorneys at the Centre for Environmental Rights learned and grew through our association with Mr Dladla. We will never forget his immaculate handwritten letters and drawings, and will continue to be inspired by his commitment to environmental justice for mining-affected communities. The loss of his gracious and gentle tenacity is a loss for the environmental justice movement. Hamba kahle, Baba uDladla.