A small group of an estimated 50-60 environmentalist protesters took to the streets in Cape Town, rallying against French multinational firm Total Energies' plans for offshore drilling of oil and gas along South Africa's coastline.

Three years ago, Total Energies found two sizable gas reserves off the south coast, and aim to drill up to five exploration wells in a 10,000km² region between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas, ranging between 60km and 170km from the coast, with sea floor depths ranging between 0.7 - 3.2 km. Total Energies maintains a 40% stake in the block, with Shell and PetroSA holding 40% and 20% respectively. The first of these wells should open drilling early next year.

The groups involved in the protest included Extinction Rebellion 350 Africa, Green Connection, Project 90-by-2030, and the African Climate Alliance, who gathered outside Parliament, raising their voices against the drilling project. They chanted slogans such as "phantsi ngoTotal"(down with Total) and "Umhlaba ngowethu, ulwandle lolwethu" (the land is ours, the sea is ours).

Total Energies aims to extract oil and gas in locations along the South African coast, from Cape Town to the West Coast and the Garden Route. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment rejected appeals against the company's application to drill off the Cape Town to Cape Agulhas coast in September. The firm has also secured exploration rights from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy for offshore drilling in the Deep Water Orange Basin off the West Coast, with further plans between Mossel Bay and Cape St Francis currently in the public participation stage.

Protesters demanded an immediate halt to oil and gas exploration, stressing the urgency of climate justice and the transition to renewable energy sources. They called on Parliament to intervene and prevent environmental exploitation, citing cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels. The activists handed their memorandum to Masibulele Xhaso, Secretary to the National Assembly, with a commitment to navigate the necessary processes and refer it to the relevant committees.

Environmental concerns have some grounds, as research into offshore gas drilling shows. But these harms can be effectively mitigated by existing technology, and are unlikely to destroy local biological environments.

Direct impacts of installing infrastructure, such as seafloor anchors and pipelines, typically affect areas within roughly 100meters of the installation site. Water-based and low-toxicity oil-based drilling muds and produced water discharges can extend over 2 kilometers, with ecological consequences usually spanning 200-300 meters from the source. These impacts can persist for years, particularly in delicate ecosystems like cold-water corals.

To address these challenges, drilling should typically avoid sensitive areas and marine protected zones, and avoid drilling during critical sealife reproductive periods. While managing natural resources in deep-sea environments presents unique challenges, incorporating these established conservation tools can ensure that extraction does minimal damage to the ecosystem.

The aforementioned NGOs did not propose mitigation strategies in their public statements, and are instead categorically opposed to the development of our offshore gas resources.

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