'Smokers' want their air clean
2003-10-31 10:46
Elise Tempelhoff
Vereeniging - A group of schoolchildren say they are virtually "forced to smoke".
Even though they hate cigarettes, it feels as if they're smoking 10 a day.
Estelle Steyn, a Grade 9 pupil at Hoërskool Vereeniging, says: "It's terrible. I'm young and want to stay healthy."
She and a couple of friends were some of the first to sign a petition against air pollution in the Vaal Triangle.
A parent, Liezel Steyn, recently obtained a whole stack of petition forms from Vanderbijl Park eye specialist Dr Johann de Lange, and she's distributing them among pupils.
De Lange started an action campaign against the Vaal Triangle's polluted air earlier this year and he aims to get 10 000 signatures to hand to the government to say: "We've had enough."
De Lange was present to accept 1 070 signatures from two school leaders, Cariena Grove, 17 and Ignat Mare, 17.
Steyn distributed the petition forms among the pupils to carry out the message: "You can make a difference."
Drive into an orange cloud
The air pollution has caused many debates and lots of pupils walk around with asthma pumps - "It's so inconvenient," says Marius Enslin, 14.
Jeanne Marais, 14, says she finds it is at its worst when she comes home after a holiday at the coast. "We then drive into an orange cloud."
"It's also terrible when people ask you where you're from. If you say you live in the Vaal Triangle, they look at you askance. It makes one shy at times," she says.
"It's the only place in the country where you can see what you're breathing," says her friend, Diana Nel, 14.
Melanie Beetge, an keen astronomer, says she wants someone to stop the pollution so she can watch the stars.
"I wish the air could be clear. I want to watch the stars, but they are not bright here."
About 4 000 people have signed the petition.
Send e-mail to eliset@mweb.co.za
- Beeld