More than 200 people marched almost 3km in strong winds to the Shell offices on Cape Town’s Foreshore yesterday to register their objections to fracking in South Africa.
Treasure Karoo Action Group chief executive Jonathan Deal said the march was to show the government that people would not let fracking destroy the environment.
The Treasure Karoo Action Group co-hosted the march with AfriForum and other NGOs.
“The people of South Africa need to understand the threat of fracking,” Deal said.
Fracking, which is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at high pressures to release natural gases, has been banned in a number of countries.
Shell’s Karoo fracking plans have sparked a battle between the government and farmers, as well as conservationists.
The protesters handed a memorandum to the Water, Energy and Mineral Resources Department, demanding a public discussion on the issue.
Julius Kleynhans, head of environmental affairs at AfriForum, said fracking would pollute land, contaminate water and threaten the health of local residents.
The march ended at the Shell office, where protesters delivered a letter to a Shell representative, demanding an end to fracking in South Africa. - Saturday Argus