Environmental groups worried about country's biodiversity
Environmental organisations have threatened to take the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to court over what they say is the persistent push to exploit the country's oceans for oil and gas.
Eco-justice groups held pickets in different locations on Saturday.
The department gave TotalEnergies the go-ahead to drill five exploration wells in a petroleum block between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas in April.
Nongavu Ntshindiso, who is a small-scale fisherman in Gqeberha, says they are concerned about the potential harm the processes involved in exploration and extraction could have on their lives and livelihoods.
Ntshindiso says the country is currently in a climate emergency and urges government to take decisions that align with #JustTransition.
"Government or the minister of Mineral Resources and Energy they didn't listen. They go to izinduna or the chiefs only when they take a decision. They decide without us and that's why we have raised our concerns," says Ntshindiso.
Another fisherman, John van Heerden, says oil and gas can be a curse for residents.
"Drilling of oil and gas wells to our ocean floor will never stand the test of time to push back global warming and destruction of our biodiversity.”
