Legal and Dialogue Training in George, South Africa

From 20 to 22 October 2014, Natural Justice, with the support of Southern Cape Land Committee, hosted 3 days of legal and negotiation training in George, South Africa, involving community members from across the Karoo, likely to be impacted by hydraulic fracturing (or "fracking"). The meeting was supported by Ford Foundation Southern Africa.

With the support of Centre for Environmental Rights, participants from the community in Nelspoort together with representatives from the Anti-Fracking Task Team and Khoi-San representatives, engaged in one day training on fracking generally, as well as relevant environment and participation laws in South Africa. In addition, the role of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights was discussed, as was the principles of free, prior and informed consent and consultation in international law.

Subsequent days were spent discussing principles and differences between different methods of engaging with external actors, in addition to the role of legislation in supporting engagement between community and the government around fracking issues.

The training session complemented ongoing discussions with community representatives about different methods of mobilisation and the use of the law and participatory methodologies to support this.

A People's Dialogue on Fracking

On Thursday, 21 August, Stephanie Booker of Natural Justice attended 'A People's Dialogue on Fracking: Global to Local", hosted by Groundwork and Southern Cape Land Committee in Cape Town.

The dialogue was attended by a number of South African NGOs and community members from the Karoo, in addition to guests Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth, The Netherlands) and Dutch representatives currently resisting fracking in their communities. It gave an opportunity for participants to share their concerns - and their work - on fracking in South Africa.

Community Protocols and Fracking - NJ Holds Another Meeting with Nelspoort Community Members

Following on from an initial meeting with community members in Nelspoort in March, Stephanie Booker and Marisa Choy of Natural Justice held a further meeting with a range of community members from Nelspoort, Western Cape, on the potential impacts (positive and negative) of fracking in the area.

Supported by Southern Cape Land Committee, the meeting was an opportunity to share, discuss and interrogate information currently being circulated, as well as ideas within the community of the benefits and disadvantages of fracking activities in the town. It was also an opportunity for communities to discuss the information that they need to better understand how fracking can impact on their lives and livelihoods.

Natural Justice attends Community Fracking Meeting in the Karoo

On 26 March 2014, Stephanie Booker of Natural Justice attended a meeting hosted by Southern Cape Land Committee in Jansenville, Eastern Cape. Attended by Southern Cape Land Committee, Groundwork and local community representatives from indigenous peoples and local farming communities across the Karoo, the meeting was an opportunity to discuss fracking developments nationally, the sharing of information on the ground and of various community strategies being pursued.

The meeting was a continuation of community mobilisation discussions with respect to fracking that originated in Steytlerville in May 2013, and continued in October with the launching of a declaration at the fracking dialogue in October 2013.

This Declaration can be found here.

Natural Justice thanks Southern Cape Land Committee for an engaging meeting.

BCPs and Fracking: Stakeholder consultations in the Karoo

On March 13, 2014, Stephanie Booker, Marie Wilke and Aino Cantell of Natural Justice participated in a meeting with Board members of Vuyani Development Trust, in the community of Nelspoort. The meeting was hosted by Southern Cape Land Committee and Vuyani Development Trust with the view to discussing Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) and shale gas exploration within the community. The town of Nelspoort lies within the local municipality of Beaufort West, from which the community leases their farmland.

The meeting began with a presentation by Stephanie Booker on the role of Natural Justice and BCPs in the context of extractive industries. This was followed by a presentation on the advantages and disadvantages of fracking activities taking place within the community. Community members shared their own experiences on the issues, and articulated some of the community’s needs in light of the proposed activities, such as better information, and education on their rights. With a high unemployment rate, fracking is seen by some in the community as an opportunity to end current levels of poverty. Local organizations such as Southern Cape Land Committee are currently developing their work to provide balanced information to communities across the Karoo.

Fracking in South Africa: A Deeper Look at Hydraulic Fracturing in South Africa

On March 10, Stephanie Booker and Aino Cantell of Natural Justice attended a roundtable discussion in Cape Town hosted by the South African Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, themed The First Frack is the Deepest: A Deeper Look at Hydraulic Fracturing in South Africa.

The roundtable brought together over 30 participants, including members of civil society, journalists, and Members of Parliament. Speakers included Mr Jonathan Deal, CEO of Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG), Dr Julia Schünemann, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), and Mr Niall Kramer from Shell South Africa.

The key objective of the roundtable was to discuss the potential dangers and benefits that fracking may bring to South Africa, given national discussions about exploring what is believed to be the eighth largest reserve of shale gas in the world. Speakers highlighted the country’s current dependency on local coal production for energy (South Africa are one of the largest producers in the world) – with the potential for fracking or renewable energies providing an alternative for excessive coal reliance.

Natural Justice attends Fracking Lecture at University of Western Cape

On 26 August 2013, Stephanie Booker and Lesle Jansen of Natural Justice attending a lecture entitled: “Fracking: Towards a Promised Land or a Broken Promise” presented by Ralhus, a project of the Faculty of Law of the University of Western Cape.

A Fracking billboard at the lecture

Three guest lecturers, Professor Jan Glazewski of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Law at the University of Cape Town, Jonathon Deal from Treasure the Karoo Action Group and Matt Ash of Norton Rose Fulbright, presented on various topics within the current fracking debate in South Africa.  Presentations included taking a precautionary and principled approach towards fracking within the South African legal framework, whether the efficacy of shale gas mining for South Africa has been sufficiently proven to permit exploration and an analysis of facts on shale gas and hydraulic fracturing.

Presentations were followed by a lively panel discussion of the different viewpoints within the fracking debate in South Africa, considering South Africa’s current energy requirements, the need for a strategic environmental assessment and actual potential for community inclusion in future employment and benefit sharing.

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Natural Justice attends Fracking and Agrarian Transformation Dialogue

On 22 and 23 May 2013, Stephanie Booker of Natural Justice attended the Fracking and Agrarian Transformation Dialogue hosted by the Southern Cape Land Committee (SCLC) in Steytlerville, Eastern Cape.  Attended by 55 community members, farmworkers, local and national non-government organisations, environmental activists, academics and international guests, the dialogue was an opportunity to discuss potential fracking in the Karoo and unite together to form a common viewpoint on fracking.  The objectives of the two-day dialogue were three-fold:

• To strengthen the voice of local communities who bear the brunt of the impact of fracking on their health and their environment;
• To develop a coordinated fracking response with a transformative agenda;
• To link with other national and international initiatives aimed at mobilising and strengthening the voice of people whose lives are impacted upon by mining, oil and gas.

On the first day of the dialogue, presenters discussed the complex context within which the fracking debate takes place in South Africa, as well as particular insights on agriculture and food, the environment and workers' rights.  The second day was spent discussing participation in decision-making, Southern African solidarity, the impacts of fracking on communities around the world, including the U.S. and Europe.

A clear statement on fracking was agreed to by participants and this can be found here.

Natural Justice thanks Southern Cape Land Committee and the participants of the dialogue for an insightful meeting.