“How will we live when there are no fish for us to catch?”
That is the burning question that brought *Leon Siebritz, to Port Alfred on Thursday October 12. Siebritz was among a group of 20 small-scale fishers and activists who staged a protest at the Small Boat Harbour, and asked questions at a public engagement session about the plans of Total Energies Exploration and Production South Africa B.V. (TEEPSA) to mine gas they have discovered in the ocean off a section of coastline in the Eastern Cape, as well as explore for more marine gas and oil.
“I am a fisherman and I have been my whole life,” Siebritz said. He spoke in Afrikaans. “If they bring this noisy machinery into the ocean, it will chase the fish away. And we have seen in the past how many fish get killed when there is an oil spill. If they go ahead with this, how will we live and how will our children live?”
The public consultation session in the Port Alfred Civic Centre was one the penultimate of 14 “open-house” engagements along the southern Cape and Eastern Cape coastline, from Gouritz to East London, conducted by environmental assessment practitioners WSP Group Africa (Pty) Ltd. WSP conducted a further public meeting online on October 16 and four online focus group meetings on October 17 and 18. WSP were appointed by TEEPSA to manage the social and environmental impact assessment process for the project. WSP consultant Helen Crosby explained that the “open house” format was chosen for the project’s public consultation period because the nature and volume of information wasn’t suitable for a single presentation format. Instead, posters illustrating different aspects of environmental concern were displayed in topic- and language-specific “stations” around the venue.
When Siebritz and his fellow small-scale fishers arrived, they were directed to presentations in Afrikaans and isiXhosa respectively. Their questions were recorded on a mobile phone and in a notebook respectively.
Crosby’s respectful responses to the fishers’ questions put some of the complex technical data into layperson’s terms. The fishers’ concerns included the nature of the materials that would be introduced to the ocean for the drilling and further exploration, the duration of the gas mining (around 25 years) and whether they would be compensating fishers’ loss of subsistence that would result from the undersea mining.
Siebritz’s nightmare was echoed by other small-scale fishers who had come from Ndlambe and beyond to register their opposition to TEEPSA’s plans. Fishing cooperatives represented included Klipfontein’s Moeggesukkel, Ekuphumleni, Marselle and Alexandria, as well as the Siyaphambili Coop from Hamburg.
“When they bring that equipment to take the gas out, they also bring noise and chemicals,” said *Xolani Nkosi. “The fish will run away.”
Nkosi said he had been fishing since childhood.
“We live between two rivers – Bushmans and Kariega – and close to the sea. This is our livelihood,” Nkosi said. “We depend on fishing to feed our families. Even the youth in our communities are fishing.”
*Anele Mbanjwa said, “We are scared of the impact the blasting will have on the marine life that we all depend on. Already we are seeing smaller numbers of certain species because of climate change, overfishing and poaching.
Mbanjwa grew up fishing. At a very young age, his grandfather would take him to the sea to catch fish for the family.
“Fishing is very important for our families’ livelihoods,” said the Hamburg fisher. “My grandfather used to sell fish to the tourists, as well as the fish he caught for our home, and that helped put fooed on the table.
“As the fishing community, we don’t think this is the right way to go to secure energy for South Africa. We think our government should rather be supporting companies that are developing [renewable energy].”
Alexandria fisher and co-op member *Stella Geswindt, who also grew up in a fishing family, echoed these concerns.
Speaking in Afrikaans, she said, “We are very scared of what damage the noise [of the drilling and mining operations] will cause. It will scare the fish away. If they go ahead and this happens, how will we put food on the table?”
What is happening currently
TotalEnergies EP SA B.V. and its joint venture partners QatarEnergy, Canadian Natural Resources International South Africa Limited and South African consortium, MainStreet 1549, have applied for a production right (PR) and Environmental Authorisation (EA) for Block 11B/12B, which is offshore from the Southern Cape coast. The closest north-eastern point of the application area is around 75km from Cape St Francis and the closest north-western point is around 115km from Mossel Bay.
An environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) forms part of the PR and EA applications. WSP Group Africa has been appointed to undertake the ESIA, to identify potential impacts and develop proposed measures to avoid, reduce and manage negative impacts.
A social and labour plan (SLP) also forms part of the PR application. The SLP presents the appllicant’s plans for aspects such as human resource development, community development and procurement.
The project is currently in the public consultation phase, which runs from 22 September to 8 November 2023.
What are the concerns?
A statement signed by no fewer than 28 small-scale fishing cooperatives and three social justice NGOs (South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, Masifundise Development Trust and Coastal Justice Network), expressed shock and disbelief at the recent authorization by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) for TotalEnergies, with partners Shell and PetroSA,, to drill up to five oil wells 60 km off Cape Point.
“Indigenous coastal communities and small-scale fishers, individual researchers, scientists, business persons, non-governmental organizations, academics, members of the public and the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning appealed this authorization. Despite 17 different grounds for appeal, Creecy dismissed the appeals,” the combined statement read.
In the second appeal dismissed by Minister Creecy that week, environmental authorisation had also been granted by Minister Mantashe’s department for a seismic survey off the West Coast.
“After losing their application for a seismic survey last year, when small-scale fishers succeeded in getting an interdict to stop Searcher, the foreign company returned, jumped the EIA public participation hurdles, listened to hundreds of fishers up and down the coast saying NO, we do not want oil and gas exploration and has now succeeded, as Creecy has dismissed those appeals too,” the organisations said.
It was in this context that small fishers have gathered in protest at and around this new application by TEEPSA.
In notes accompanying their statement, the Coastal Justice Network (CJN) explains that the main objective is to mine the gas they have discovered; however, they also want to do further exploration.
The wells would be connected to an existing platform near Mossel Bay via an additional 40km underwater pipeline. After that it would use existing infrastructure to bring the liquified gas to shore.
The first step was the scoping phase completed earlier in 2023.
“Fishers and traditional leaders made comments and attended meetings in St Francis, Jeffrey’s Bay, Gqeberha and Port Alfred,” CJ said.
After these meetings, WSP had produced a scoping report – the first report in the ESIA process – which was accepted in May 2023 by Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).
“The next step is to seek Environmental Authorisation which is required to drill more exploratory wells and start the production of gas on some of the wells already drilled in 2019.”
The CJN has raised a number of concerns about process, including the massive effort required to engage with the multitude of ESIA reports: the main report is 748 pages, the fisheries report is 383 pages and there are 53 additional specialist reports and comments CJN says. The report uses complex scientific language.
The CJN has questioned the report’s claim that there will be a “medium” impact on small-scale fisheries; the report’s findings on the project’s contribution to greenhouse gases and climate change; and the report’s assessment of the impact on intangible heritage as “medium” and the suggestion that this can be mitigated by rituals.
** Not their real names. Although two of the fishers TOTT spoke to were happy for their names to be used, we have opted to keep all of them anonymous.
DEADLINE FOR COMMENT EXTENDED
Offshore Production Right and Environmental Authorisation Applications by TotalEnergies EP South Africa B.V. for Block 11B/12B
WSP Group Africa (Pty) Ltd, as the environmental assessment practitioner, has informed Interested and Affected Parties that the public comment period on the draft environmental and social impact assessment report and social and labour plan has been extended by two weeks; comments are now due on or before Wednesday 08 November 2023.
To register as an I&AP and submit comments, queries and concerns, contact WSP’s public participation office at: Call 011 254 4800, WhatsApp 076 694 3842 or email gld.teepsaesia@wsp.com
- This article first appeared in TALK OF THE TOWN – the community newspaper for Ndlambe and Makhanda, in supermarkets and other outlets every Thursday.
