It is no coincidence that South Africa's “Wild Coast” bears this name.
It is a 250 kilometer long coastal strip on the Indian Ocean with lonely bays, jagged cliffs, a lot of untouched nature.
Quite a few sailors have been stranded there over the centuries.
Today surfers and nature lovers are drawn to the wild coast.
At certain times of the year whales and schools of sardines swim by.
Claudia Bröll
Freelance Africa correspondent based in Cape Town.
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But right now there is great excitement about the picturesque spot. "Go to Hell, Shell" and "Save the Wild Coast" are written on demonstrators' posters on the beaches. It is about the announcement by the oil company that it will start exploring oil and gas deposits off the coast from December 1. As of Sunday, more than 140,000 citizens had signed a petition to the environment minister to stop exploration. This is a very high turnout by South African standards.
Environmentalists allegedly caught the announcement in a local newspaper completely unprepared, especially since the World Climate Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow has just come to an end. There, South Africa was pledged $ 8.5 billion by Germany, Great Britain, France, the United States and the European Union over three to five years in order to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and to switch to a more climate-friendly course. The South African President had spoken of a "turning point". It is inexplicable that after COP26 the search for fossil fuels will even be intensified, says Janet Solomon, founder of the "Oceans Not Oil" initiative. On Sunday, the German surfer and activist Flo Jung also protested against the arrival of the investigation ship Amazon Warrior in Cape Town.
Most of all, worry about whales
Three-dimensional seismic surveys are to take place along the coastal strip for four to five months, at a distance of 20 kilometers from the mainland and over an area of 6000 square kilometers.
Such measurements are the common method for exploring oil and gas deposits around the world.
The subsurface is examined using strong sound waves in order to identify geological formations and to determine the size and depth of the deposits.
Animal rights activists and scientists fear, however, that the force of the sound waves and the enormous noise under water will damage the living beings in the sea. Whales in particular could temporarily lose their hearing and thus lose their bearings. Other marine animals are also at risk. The impulses from sonic cannons could also put the animals under great stress. In South Africa there is too little research on noise pollution in the sea and no regulations, scientists warn.
The opponents are even more concerned about the future of the Wild Coast if the company finds enough oil or gas. On land, the entire infrastructure for removal must be built. Because of the strong Agulhas Current, one of the fastest ocean currents in the world, a high risk of oil spills is also feared. The currents are so strong that it is difficult to stem the leakage of oil.
Shell tries to allay the worries. "We are very careful to avoid or minimize effects on fish, marine mammals and other wildlife," said a spokesman. Shell has a long history of exploration and wildlife welfare is "an important factor in the stringent controls we carry out". You strictly follow international guidelines. There is a restricted zone within a radius of 500 meters around the sound source, which is monitored around the clock. If an animal were to enter this restricted area, the work would be stopped immediately. With a view to extracting oil and gas amid global climate protection efforts, the company said it will continue to work with the South African government on the path to energy transition.
The permit for exploration off the Wild Coast was granted many years ago, at that time to a different company. The entry into oil and gas production is part of a plan announced by the government in 2014 to expand the “ocean economy” in South Africa. The company's own oil and gas production could replace 80 percent of previous imports, create 130,000 jobs and stimulate the economy, said the then President Jacob Zuma. He promised a "tight" approval process. Only one department in the Mining and Energy Ministry should be responsible for this. Criticism is now also igniting that. As the environment ministry announced, it had nothing to do with the license for Shell. The initiators of the petition are now trying to initiate a review of the relevant regulations.