On 25-28 September small-scale fishing communities and civil society organisations advocating against extractive activities in coastal communities attended the national oil and gas workshop hosted by the Green Connection in Saldanha Bay.
This is the third oil and gas strategy workshop for the year. In the previous meeting, small-scale fishers, and Non-governmental Organisations (NGO’s) working in those communities, developed advocacy strategies and ways to mobilise and organise to create solidarity and strengthen the fight against oil and gas.
The workshop provided an update on the extractive developments in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. This was followed by a discussion on strengthening current advocacy strategies in order to support coastal communities in halting oil and gas developments.
The Legal resources Centre (LRC) gave an update on the Searcher and Shell seismic survey court cases. It was emphasised that fishing communities need to take on a multipronged approach to stop the several oil and gas projects that have set on our coastline.
“Small-scale fishers depend on natural marine resources from the ocean for their livelihood. The blasts that come from seismic exploration, or other extractive activities, are incredibly harmful to marine life and resources. We cannot allow large companies to destroy the marine environment” said Maia Nangle, project officer at Masifundise.
Masifundise will continue to support small-scale communities in their fight to be meaningfully consulted on any development that will affect their livelihoods.