The Green Connection Legacy programme is an empowerment programme that was launched in 2021, which aims to equip community champions with necessary skills to fight socio-economic injustices that pose major threats to the environment and oceans, while advocating for sustainable energy solutions. The programme primarily focuses on educating coastal community activists about governance, parliament and South African Bill of rights. Along with using communication and media to advocate for socio-economic issues. The workshops held in the programme have given activists the skills to raise their voices against exclusion in decision – making processes, flawed Environmental Impact Assessments and poor public participation processes.
Legacy activists (also known as Legacy champions) success stories highlight the important role that the programme has played in ensuring that champions are equipped with enough knowledge to stand up for their rights. Legacy champions have conducted commendable work, influencing change within their communities. In the Eastern Cape, Legacy champions from Port St Johns Phumza Kalimashe and Ntsindiso Nongcavu succeeded in getting a councilor who is opposed to oil and gas nominated for elections. In the Western Cape, a Legacy champion from Knysna Barend Fredericks established a co-management committee, and task team, to coordinate with provincial level around oil and gas, and fishers’ rights. He received an appointment with the mayor and SANParks. Barend Fredericks continues to praise the training that he received as an important tool in his fight for human rights. He says it gave him the knowledge and skills to communicate effectively with role players and make clear arguments to help stop policies that may be implemented, which may lead to harming the environment.
Watch the legacy programme video below in English, Afrikaans and IsiXhosa.
BENDING OVER BACKWARDS, DMRE GIVES KARPOWERSHIPS ANOTHER BREAK
30 September 2021 was supposed to be the commercial close – a date set by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) – for bidders in the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (RMI4P).
TOSACO EIA MET WITH PUSHBACK FROM CIVIL SOCIETY, TO PROTECT THE OCEAN AND SMALL-SCALE FISHER LIVELIHOODS
This week, The Green Connection submitted its comments critiquing several aspects of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, particularly the lack of procedural fairness, as well as the conclusions reached – notwithstanding information gaps and scientific uncertainty – that should form part Tosaco Energy’s request to undertake various activities in Block 1, off the West Coast.
RECENTLY GRADUATED GREEN CONNECTORS, EQUIPPED FOR THE POLLS AND READY TO WEIGH-IN ON COP26
Following their recent graduation from The Green Connection’s Legacy Champions Programme, these newly empowered Green Connectors say they feel equipped with the necessary advocacy skills to make positive changes in their communities, starting with their vote in the local elections (1 November) and weighing in on the discussions around COP26 (which starts on 31 October) – as part of their efforts to oppose oil and gas developments in the country and offshore.
GREEN CONNECTION’S ‘FUNERAL FOR THE CLIMATE’ (AFRICAN ENERGY WEEK) AND COMMENT ON YESTERDAY’S BUDGET SPEECH
This week (10 November 2021), we joined other environmental defenders in Cape Town to peacefully demonstrate outside the African Energy Week #AEW2021 conference venue demanding an end to fossil fuels and the immediate pivot toward the just transition to a renewable energy future.
CLOSE TO 200 PEOPLE RISE AT CRACK OF DAWN TO PROTEST THE ARRIVAL OF SHELL’S SEISMIC MONSTER, AMAZON WARRIOR
On Sunday morning, (21 November 2021), before the crack of dawn, nearly 200 concerned environmental defenders took to the Waterfront to get a glimpse of Shell’s seismic testing vessel, Amazon Warrior, as it made its way into Cape Town harbour. The vessel travelled down the West coast of Africa, on its way to the Wild Coast, to conduct seismic surveys for an estimated five (5) months.
ENVIRONMENTALISTS DOUBLE-UP ON EFFORTS TO OPPOSE UPCOMING AND FURTHER SEISMIC TESTING IN SOUTH AFRICA’S OCEANS
As the groundswell of opposition against Shell’s upcoming 3D seismic survey off the Transkei builds, the Green Connection – an ecojustice NGO that supports small-scale fishers in advocating for their livelihoods – reacted with astonishment to a press statement issued by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) on 9 December 2021.