Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Marine Spatial Planning Act: Marine Sector Plans.
I am writing to you on behalf of The Green Net, a community-based environmental organisation (non-profit company) on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
We have a membership base of over 600 residents and work closely with various conservancies, WESSA, ratepayers’ associations, tourism associations, religious groupings, schools and members of national, provincial and local government structures in KZN and the Eastern Cape.
Much as we understand that you need to work within parameters defined by national government and, although cognizant of the intention of Marine Spatial Planning to find a balance between environmental and commercial considerations, we object unequivocally to the inclusion of offshore mining for oil and gas as a feature in long-term planning for our coastline.
As you are no doubt aware, coastal residents have, in the last few years, expressed strong opposition to offshore oil and gas mining, working tirelessly to prevent companies such as Eni, Shell and Total from operating in our waters. Coastal residents rely heavily on the ocean, which directly supports subsistence fishers, commercial fisheries, spearfishermen, divers, surfers and paddlers.
The ocean also plays an important role in local social, cultural and religious practices, and many regard the ocean as sacred – for example, Zionist Christians, who number several million in the region, regularly carry out baptisms and cleansing rituals in the ocean and need it clean.
Tourism in the region depends primarily on clean beaches, clean swimming areas and healthy Marine Protected Areas, and tourism provides a critical source of revenue for the region – estimated at R2.4 billion in 2022, according to Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental MEC Siboniso Duma.
Locals are well aware that we would be unlikely ever to receive anything approaching this income through employment in the oil and gas sector, despite claims made in proposals such as the Upstream Petroleum Bill. Furthermore, residents are deeply concerned about the dangers posed to marine life by seismic surveys and drilling activities, not to mention the potentially-devastating risk of oil spills.
It would only take one oil spill to destroy local fishing and tourism resources in the region for years, even generations, to come. Especially in light of the current mismanagement of our roads, water supply, sewerage works, electricity supply, general infrastructure and finances, coupled with widespread corruption and exploitation of resources at citizens’ expense, residents have little faith in the current authorities, either competently to manage offshore mining or to provide effective mitigation against the risks thereof.
South Africa boasts many creative minds and technical innovators, and we believe our country is quite capable of finding more sustainable sources of energy than offshore oil and gas, given the appropriate political will. In light of our commitment to international agreements such as the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (’30×30′) and concomitant plans by the DFFE to increase Protected Areas, as well as our international reputation as an eco-tourism destination, we implore you to defend our natural environment and to oppose the imposition of offshore mining on citizens who depend on a healthy, clean ocean.
As our Bill of Rights states, we have a right to an environment that is not harmful to our health or wellbeing and to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations. This is a critical moment for us all and we trust that our ocean will be protected in order to be allowed to continue sustaining us.
HELEN DODGE
The Green Net
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