Climate justice activists, gathered outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), on Tuesday, to protest against the Africa Energy Week 2025.
Their gripe is fossil fuels are driving social and environmental crises and not solving them.
Protesters are from The Green Connection, African Climate Alliance, Extinction Rebellion Cape Town, Project 90 by 2030, SAFCEI, and the Climate Justice Coalition.
The Green Connection’s, Lisa Makaula said, “We can’t continue to have leaders constantly push for development of more fossil fuel projects when we are at a turning point. Climate change is impacting marginalized communities and without a just energy transition away from fossil fuels, negative impacts could worsen. Development must be centred around people and take into account socio-economic development and environmental sustainability. Oil and gas exploration could threaten the livelihoods of coastal communities who depend on fishing to survive.”
Stella Hertantyo of the African Climate Alliance, agreed that the event is marketed as a celebration of “business opportunities” offered by further coal, oil, and gas extraction on the continent, in the name of economic growth and development.
Hertantyo said the truth is “air pollution from coal-fired power stations, kills more than 2,200 South Africans every year. Coal is also a major contributor to climate change, which we know will continue to pose health risks in the most extreme ways. As civil society organisations, we are often called “anti-development”. But if the utilisation of coal was so good for development, then we need to ask ourselves why we still have immense challenges such as poverty, inequality, and unemployment. They are going to be sitting in that conference room discussing the business opportunities for future fossil fuel extraction, but at what cost? We are sacrificing people’s lives and our planet.”
Ntombizodidi Mapapu from SAFCEI agrees that “oil, gas and nuclear energy are false solutions to the climate crisis. We call for a just transition that places people, especially the marginalised, at the centre. African governments need to phase out fossil fuels that have no place in our energy mix, and instead prioritise affordable, sustainable energy solutions that protect our environment, oceans, land, coastline, health, and our cultural heritage. We do not have faith in false solutions, and we say No to fossil fuels and nuclear energy in Africa.”
Picture: Supplied