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South African curbs on fireworks opposed

Attempts to replicate restrictions imposed on the use of fireworks in India have met with opposition from religious and business leaders in South Africa.

The Supreme Court of India has banned excessively noisy firecrackers, prohibited firecrackers in "silent zones" and placed a curfew on the use of fireworks during the coming Hindu festival of lights, Diwali. The court said firecrackers could only be set off between 6pm and 10pm.

Municipal officials in Durban are considering similar rules, but their attempts have met with a strong reaction from Indian community leaders and business houses.

Rocky Naidoo, a member of the local city council, introduced the motion to introduce a curfew on the use of fireworks. He said he did not advocate a complete ban on their use, but wanted to promote "sensible use" of the noisy fireworks.

In recent years there have been numerous complaints from residents of all areas in the Greater Durban region, where more than half of South Africa's 1.2 million Indians live. About 80 per cent of them are Hindu.

The complaints are mainly about the noise during Diwali and the traditional English Guy Fawkes commemoration that follows soon after.

Animal rights organisations have also regularly called for a ban on fireworks, pointing out that pets are traumatised by the loud noise.

But while Naidoo wants the curfew in the interests of the residents of the city and their peaceful sleep, Ram Maharaj of the National Hindu Dharma Sabha has called his attempts "a flagrant violation of religion".

Maharaj agreed that noisy firecrackers were not necessary to the celebration of Diwali, but said the proposed restriction on the time that fireworks can be used would "dampen the spirit" of the festival.

During the 1970s the import and use by the public of fireworks were banned for a number of years in South Africa. Only a limited number of licensed operators were allowed to host fireworks displays, for which special permission had to be sought.

Following intervention by the then Indian house of the apartheid-era tricameral parliament, the House of Delegates, the restrictions were initially partially and later fully lifted to allow South African Hindus to celebrate Diwali again.

Overnight, local Indian businessmen again began importing all kinds of fireworks, mainly from India, but the cheaper products from China soon overtook them. The products from India were, however, the ones that produced the loudest noises.

For many of these businesses, Diwali, Guy Fawkes later in November and the New Year celebrations are the only periods in which they do a roaring trade. Most hire additional staff during this period to cope with the demand.

In Johannesburg, Jitesh Jamnadas, director of Roshnee Enterprises, the largest distributor of fireworks in the country, said a curfew on time would not be good. He said people had become accustomed here to celebrating Diwali with fireworks for at least a week.

But while the bickering about whether firecrackers should be allowed continues, consumers are rubbing their hands in glee as the competition ensures they get the best products at the lowest possible prices.

Diwali will undoubtedly go off with a bang again in South Africa this year.

Indo-Asian News Service

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