Special visit to Wijk aan Zee today: five South African human rights defenders came to take a look at the village and the Tata Steel site. The five visitors stand up for residents of powerful refineries in their country. They mine raw materials, but pollute the water, air and soil enormously and flout rules. Things are different there than here, but the parties still see similarities between Wijk aan Zee and South Africa (see video).
Because the problems of polluting companies such as steel factories and refineries occur worldwide, the Wijk aan Zeese and South African delegations are today calling for as much international cooperation as possible in the fight for the climate and for human rights.
South African activist Sabelo Mnguni: “We want to force governments to make international, strict rules.”
Tata Steel IJmuiden is working on improvement and greening plans, so that any pollution or nuisance caused by the company should be almost completely a thing of the past by 2045.