Group of environmental activists march against fracking

By Lelethu Mquqo
5 August 2011

A group of environmental activists will be taking to the streets of Cape Town on Women’s Day next week to protest against fracking in South Africa.

The GasWalk is aimed at raising awareness of the threat that fracking poses to the most vulnerable in society, specifically women and children.

Marina Louw of the Climate Justice Campaign says South Africa can’t afford to jeopardize the health of future generations.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International says oil company Shell has had a disastrous impact on the human rights of the people living in the Niger Delta in Nigeria.

The activist group was responding to a UN report on the effects of oil pollution in Ogoniland in the Delta region.

It found that oil contamination is widespread and severe, and that people in the Niger Delta have been exposed for decades.

The report also exposes the serious failure of the Nigerian government to regulate and control companies like Shell.