South Africa – Fracking: another chip at our democracy

An anti-fracking coalition in South Africa opposes Minister Susan Shabangu's plan for shale gas exploration in the Karoo, describing it as an extractive process that benefits a small elite while threatening the natural environment and ignoring the needs of local residents for agrarian transformation and basic services.

• The South African government, via Minister of Mineral Resources Susan Shabangu, intends to move forward decisively with shale gas exploration in the Karoo, which the coalition claims contradicts the desires of the local population.
• The coalition characterizes the fracking agenda as undemocratic, arguing that the government's approach of explaining the process to communities is an 'agenda of the elite' rather than a genuine consultation to improve local livelihoods.
• The coalition alleges that the government is prioritizing the protection of fossil fuel investments over democratic processes, citing Minister Shabangu's statement that changes to the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Bill will protect the 'sanctity of investments'.
• The struggle against fracking in the Karoo is framed as a response to three specific challenges: the need for agro-ecology based on agrarian reform and food sovereignty, the protection of scarce water resources, and the pursuit of non-extractive energy sovereignty.

APA

admin (2014). South Africa – Fracking: another chip at our democracy. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/south-africa-fracking-another-chip-at-our-democracy/

Chicago

admin. South Africa – Fracking: another chip at our democracy. Friends of the Earth International, 2014. https://www.foei.org/south-africa-fracking-another-chip-at-our-democracy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=South Africa – Fracking: another chip at our democracy |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=10 February 2014 |url=https://www.foei.org/south-africa-fracking-another-chip-at-our-democracy/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2014south, author = {admin}, title = {{South Africa – Fracking: another chip at our democracy}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2014}, month = feb, url = {https://www.foei.org/south-africa-fracking-another-chip-at-our-democracy/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }