“We cannot eat oil and gas”

Aug 30, 2022 News

– South Africa fishermen, environmentalist force govt. engagement over oil and gas impacts

Kaieteur News – Taking into account the activities of oil and gas development and its impact on the fishing sector, South African fishers and environmental activists in Cape Town have forced their government to meet and provide information regarding the vulnerability of their industry in relation to the petroleum upstream sector.

Civil society and fisher organisations symbolic demonstration outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre (Picture: Masifundise Development Trust)

(Picture: Masifundise Development Trust)

Reports out of the African nation by Independent Online (IOL) stated that civil society, environmentalist and other stakeholders protested their government yesterday using slogans such as ‘people over profit’ and ‘we cannot eat oil and gas’ to highlight their concerns regarding the energy business. It was reported that civil society and fisher organisations held the symbolic demonstration outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre where Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe met fishing communities to discuss their concerns about the development of the upstream petroleum industry.

Yesterday’s meeting came days after a pre-colloquium that sought to hear stakeholders’ fears concerning upcoming oil and gas activities, was held. The minister had said that the meeting formed part of a process started earlier in the year to “…engage with all interested and affected parties on the development of the upstream petroleum industry in South Africa. We need to explore and exploit the minerals that our country is endowed with to grow our economy,” Mantashe said.

It was noted however that the fishing communities and environmental activists called for more meaningful engagement between “the government, stakeholders from the oil and gas industry and fishing sector”. The engagement to discuss “the co-existence of upstream petroleum and fishing industries” was also held last Thursday after mounting pressure from the stakeholders.

The pre-colloquium event on Thursday was said to be organised by “the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to engage the fishing sector and rising concerns about the effect of offshore oil and gas exploration activities on the environment, seismic surveys, coastal community development and how these sectors could co-exist.”

Stakeholders highlighted the lack of information regarding oil and gas impacts on the fishing industry and thus noted the need for increased and regular stakeholder involvement to ensure an all-inclusive approach to the sectors co-existing. Among those stakeholders were representatives of large and small-scale fishers. The chairperson for Fish South Africa (FishSA) Loyiso Phantshwa who represented commercial fisheries gave rousing input into the lack of sufficient research on the impact of the ongoing oil and gas exploration projects on marine ecosystems that they depended on, the report stated. SA United Fishing Front founder Pedro Garcia representing small-scale fishers “advocated the need for a Grassroots Communications Framework to ensure actual meaningful consultation processes could be held around these projects.”

First Indigenous Nation of Southern Africa (Finsa) leader Gregg Fick also brought attention “to the lack of representation and deliberate exclusion of the voice of the first Indigenous people on the panel of speakers.” Fick was reported as saying that “Indigenous people were the first to fish and care for the sensitive ocean that so many now laid a claim to, yet they were still not given a seat at the table in these discussions and on these platforms.” To that concern, the South African Mineral Resources and Energy Ministry said it will be “criss-crossing the country consulting all stakeholders” as he does not wish to be selective or to discriminate and exclude anyone.

The pre-colloquium saw marine and mining experts engaging representatives of the fishing communities on matters relating to the upstream petroleum industry. While the sessions form part of the engagements with various stakeholders aimed at providing clarity and crafting solutions to the challenges experienced in the development of the Upstream Petroleum Industry, a final joint energy colloquium by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) is expected in October where environmental impact considerations of upstream oil and gas activities will be further addressed.

It was reported that, The Green Connection, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, SA Fishers Collective, Coastal Justice Network and KZN Subsistence Fisherfolks among other stakeholders have “expressed their opposition towards oil and gas extractive activities.” It was said that these organisations believe the engagement sought to “pacify and weaken the message some small-scale fishing communities have been sending out against the pillaging of coastal waters and their belief that oil and gas development and fishing activities could not co-exist.”

The co-existence of the fisheries industry and the development of oil and gas remains a topical issue for any oil and gas-producing nation. So much so that even Guyana has had its share of contention regarding the impact of the oil and gas development on the fishing industry. Operators here in Guyana have continued to claim that oil operations off the Stabroek Block has dwindled fish numbers. The matter even forced a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) study that was provided to the government which said that the oil and gas development by Exxon and partners was not the cause of the dwindling fish numbers. This information was provided despite the oil company in its impact assessment document clarifying possible effects its operations could have on fishes. The Ministry of Agriculture provided information from the FAO report which was done in early May; but the document is yet to be released.