Mining minister Gwede Mantashe has lashed out at environmental groups lobbying against oil and gas exploration off the West Coast and fracking in the Karoo, calling for more drilling and less focus on renewable energy.
He is encouraged by energy companies’ exploration drilling and that “such bold risk-taking investment will be rewarded”. He emphasised that the government is committed to the fight against “foreign-funded NGOs” that get in the way.
Mantashe, regarded as a fossil fuel fundamentalist by environmental groups, differs from government views that prioritises the diversification of SA’s energy sector to lessen the reliance on fossil fuels.
The Climate Change Act, enacted this week, enables the environment minister to set emissions targets for various sectors, such as energy and transport, as well as prescribe emission thresholds or carbon budgets at company level.
“Every time you touch oil or gas, you end up in court,” Mantashe said at the Southern Africa Oil and Gas Conference in Cape Town on Wednesday.
“Oil and gas have played second fiddle to other energy sources for far too long, and this has also resulted in foreign NGOs wanting to get involved,” he said. “Obviously, we must exploit them [fossil fuels].”
He insisted the government will be on the side of the companies that get taken to court over their exploration projects.
Unexplored reserves
Mantashe voiced his support for oil and gas exploration drilling across the Orange Basin, which stretches from the Namibian coast into SA waters, which holds an estimated 3.5-billion barrels of potential recoverable oil. He said the region is home to substantial unexplored reserves of oil and gas.
Mantashe’s legal woes with environmentalists are well documented. Natural Justice and The Green Connection took TotalEnergies and the government to court last year over the decision to grant the French multinational authorisation to conduct exploratory drilling off the West Coast. TotalEnergies has since proposed additional exploratory drilling in a recent draft scoping report.
The environmental groups rejected the report, warning that it severely underplays the risk of a devastating oil spill and damage to the region’s small-scale fishing culture.
Mantashe also voiced support for the exploitation of Karoo gas reserves through fracking, arguing that greywater could be used to support the process.
“We are waiting for regulators from the department of forestry, fisheries & the environment to lift the moratorium on shale gas exploration in the Karoo. We want that gas.”
Mantashe said this is one area in which US President Donald Trump is his “ally”, reiterating his belief that developing SA’s oil and gas resources will be a “game changer” for economic growth. “If you are not interdicted, drill, drill, drill. Wait for an interdict — if it doesn’t arrive, drill,” he said.
Activists note that SA is lagging in its commitment to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, which calls on countries to limit the rise in average global temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Restrictions on oil and gas exploration are a critical component of limiting the increase in temperatures. The global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions required to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals would be impossible if all the world’s proven oil and gas reserves were used.
Mantashe highlighted the need to strike a balance between environmental mandates and economic development, arguing that SA’s haste in shifting away from coal is partly what led to load-shedding.
‘Coal fundamentalist’
“I’m a coal fundamentalist — a fossil fuel dinosaur, and I love these titles. They speak to my instinct when it comes to development,” he said.
Tracey Davies, executive director of the nonprofit shareholder activism organisation Just Share, said Mantashe’s statements are part of a campaign driven by some parts of the government against NGOs that are seen as representing foreign interests. Davies said modelling indicates SA needs very little oil and gas in its energy mix.
“Some parts of government see oil and gas exploration as an economic game changer, but there is nothing in the department’s track record that gives the assurance that the public, rather than a select group of politicians, will benefit,” she said.
The Green Connection advocacy officer Lisa Makaula told Business Day: “Climate change has been severely affecting communities in SA and investing in oil and gas projects could worsen these disasters. “That would not only affect marginalised communities but also put a burden on government spending to rebuild critical infrastructure that has been damaged. It remains vital for SA to prioritise sustainable projects.”
DA spokesperson James Lorimer said Mantashe’s remarks do not run counter to the department’s promises in terms of SA’s energy transition and sustainability mandates, provided the department can back up its decisions on environmental management in court.
With Thando Maeko and Antoinette Slabbert
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