On Youth Day, 16 June, we not only remember South Africa’s painful past, but also imagine what heritage we want to leave to future generations. Right now, we are witnessing the threatened destruction of a site of deep remembrance of our past, the ‘sacred’ land on which the Khoi-Khoin resisted colonisation for well over a century. The City of Cape Town gave the green light … [Read more...]
Make-a-Difference Week beach cleanup a great success
The 5 to 13 June 2021 was Make-a-Difference Week, a worldwide effort to reduce negative environmental impacts. The Cape Town Environmental Education Trust (CTEET) team kicked off the nine-day commitment with a beach cleanup from Sunrise Beach to Muizenberg on World Environment Day, which was also the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. There was … [Read more...]
Mqeku Picnic Site: an ideal spot for family outings
Head for the great outdoors, enjoy the early-winter crisp weather and discover somewhere new: visit the Mqeku Picnic Site - a magical unexplored playground only 20 minutes from Hillcrest in the heart of the Valley of 1000 Hills. With Youth Day and Father’s Day both coming up in the next fortnight – families may be looking for interesting things to do together. Mqeku … [Read more...]
Fishers around SA protest against Karpowership plans
Hundreds of people from fishing communities near Langebaan and Saldanha on the Cape’s West Coast took to Friday Island Beach on World Ocean Day (8 June), to “Say No to Karpowerships”. The protesters turned up in droves to demonstrate their rejection of the government’s plans to allow the so-called Karpowerships to anchor offshore, proposed to assist the government’s power … [Read more...]
Polluters are slowing down Africa’s progress
The world has no business investing in new fossil fuel developments in our race to the 1.5°C pathway. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) newly released Net Zero by 2050 roadmap has closed the door on new fossil fuel extraction, and fossil fuel giants have lost their claim to fame of new oil and gas reserves being aligned with the Paris Agreement. It’s a small victory … [Read more...]
Oil and gas not valid transition fuels for SA
In the wake of his speech yesterday, the Green Connection voices its dissatisfaction with Minister Gwede Mantashe’s energy budget, which continues to place too much emphasis on oil and gas – neither of which are valid transition fuels that reduce the country’s carbon emissions. Not only does the use of gas threaten to derail South Africa’s efforts to meet its conditions of the … [Read more...]
Pollinating organic skill among SA smallholder farmers
The South African Organic Sector Organisation (SAOSO) in collaboration with Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) South Africa (SA) has launched South Africa’s first Ecological Organic Agriculture Pollinator programme. The programme aims to support smallholder farmers to gain recognition for their organic practices and enables them to “pollinate” organic knowledge to support … [Read more...]
Lessons learned during landmark SA nuclear court case
On Monday 26 April, it will be four years since the Western Cape High Court found the government’s R1-trillion nuclear deal and associated energy procurement processes to be “illegal and unconstitutional”. South Africa was spared from a corrupt deal under the Zuma government that would have bankrupted the country. This day also marks 35-years since the Chernobyl nuclear … [Read more...]
Additional offshore drilling plans for Mossel Bay on hold
The Green Connection and its partners – small-scale subsistence fishers from around the country – have welcomed TOTAL E & P South Africa B.V’s announcement that it will postpone their application for additional drilling and associated activities in Block 11B/12B off South Africa’s south coast. The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) process has also been … [Read more...]
Protecting our oceans to save marine life
During my time as an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace, I’ve sat in a tiny boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean, watching a fishing boat pull in miles of drift nets. The nets were full of tuna, but there were also dead spinner dolphins, manta rays, thresher sharks and more – a grim demonstration of devastation at sea. I’ve been right up close with some of the biggest fishing … [Read more...]
Veterinary clinic provides free services to vulnerable companion animals
The TEARS Animal Rescue Veterinary Clinic and Mobile Clinic work jointly to mobilise free veterinary and primary healthcare services to vulnerable companion animals. More and more cases of animal neglect and abuse are being recorded by the TEARS Clinic, which performs about 200 sterilisations every month, as well as 200 Feral Cat sterilisations. The Charity, which has been … [Read more...]
Mozambican litchi programme brings the sweet taste of success
In a victory for more than 200 smallholder growers, Westfalia Fruit is celebrating a bountiful 2020 litchi season in Mozambique. The returns from the 2020 bumper crop are uplifting a community of small-scale farmers in Manica Province, who, with the help of Westfalia over the past five years, have secured market access to Europe, GlobalGAP status, and a World Bank grant to … [Read more...]
Massive frog massacre averted thanks to eco saviours
One Sunday morning earlier this month, Bolander received an urgent call from Somerset West resident Elma Pollard (previous environmental correspondent for Bolander, and editor of the Green Times), saying that there was a massive frog migration underway from Paardevlei dam, over the R44 to the Sanctuary dam. "The cars are driving over the frogs, it’s a massive slaughter, and … [Read more...]
