South Africa – Fracking: another chip at our democracy

A statement from an anti-fracking coalition in South Africa criticizing the government's plan to proceed with shale gas exploration in the Karoo, arguing that the process is undemocratic and prioritizes elite profit over the needs and rights of local communities.

• 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 local residents who prioritize agrarian transformation, employment, and basic services.
• The coalition describes the government's approach to fracking as an "undemocratic agenda" and "undemocratic process," asserting that the benefits of gas extraction will accrue to a few high-profile individuals and outsiders rather than the majority of the Karoo population.
• Minister Susan Shabangu indicated at the IHZ McCloskey South Africa Conference 2014 in Cape Town on 29 January that the government would protect fossil fuel investments through changes in the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Bill to "protect the sanctity of investments in the context of national development imperatives."
• The struggle against fracking in the Karoo is framed around three primary challenges: establishing an agro-ecology based on food sovereignty and agrarian reform, protecting scarce water resources, and ensuring energy sovereignty through non-extractive energy production.

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} }