South Africa is just one of the countries where Greenpeace Africa operates. It holds a significant strategic place in our campaign, as South Africa is the largest emitter in all of Africa, amounting to 40% of emissions. We work on moving away from coal and nuclear, towards renewable energy solutions. We work closely with affected communities to highlight how dirty coal impacts on people’s lives such as water access and air quality.
Our passionate volunteers in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town have led their own campaigns to ask local businesses to phase out of single-use plastics, and work closely with other environmental groups to keep the environmental movement here vibrant.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen local and global governments, mobilise resources and public funds to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been encouraging to see the pace at which…
Many of our favourite restaurants are overrun with single-use plastics. The drinks come with plastic straws, the food comes with plastic cutlery, and our leftovers are placed in styrofoam boxes…
More than 125 health experts, including virologists, epidemiologists, emergency room doctors, and specialists in public health and food packaging safety, have signed a statement on the safety of reusables during…
July 2020
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen local and global governments, mobilise resources and public funds to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been encouraging to see the pace at which…
July 2020
Many of our favourite restaurants are overrun with single-use plastics. The drinks come with plastic straws, the food comes with plastic cutlery, and our leftovers are placed in styrofoam boxes…
June 2020
More than 125 health experts, including virologists, epidemiologists, emergency room doctors, and specialists in public health and food packaging safety, have signed a statement on the safety of reusables during…
June 2020
Greenpeace Africa volunteer Chemitei Janet shows us how to make a cloth reusable face mask to protect ourselves during the COVID-19 pandemic
June 2020
While the world is rightly preoccupied with tackling COVID-19, oil companies are pushing to produce more single-use plastic than ever before. So what do we need to know about plastic…
June 2020
Nairobi/Johannesburg, 22 June 2020 – Over 100 health experts from eighteen countries, several of them from Africa signed onto a statement today assuring retailers and consumers that reusables are safe…
June 2020
Durban, 03 June 2020 – The need for masks, latex gloves, and other single-use PPEs to reduce the spread of COVID-19 has increased but they are not being properly disposed of.
June 2020
Johannesburg, 2 June 2020 – This World Environment Day, Greenpeace Africa will be screening The Story of Plastic, a new documentary directed and produced by Deia Schlosberg. This documentary exposes…
April 2020
02 April 2020, Johannesburg — This morning, South Africa’s National Air Quality Officer (NAQO), Dr Thuli Khumalo, appeared on SAFM to discuss the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries’ last-minute…
March 2020
Johannesburg, 28 March 2020 — Barbara Creecy, Minister of the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries this week gazetted the doubling of the minimum emissions standards for Sulphur Dioxide (SO2),…
March 2020
Dear Coronavirus I was on a plane to Durban a few weeks ago to see Durban Greenpeace Africa Volunteers for our usual meetings and planning of activities. A lady sneezed…
March 2020
22 March 2020, Johannesburg — This World Water Day, the nexus of coal, water security, and air pollution is at the centre of the discussion for Greenpeace Africa. South Africa’s…
March 2020
04 March 2020, Johannesburg — On Tuesday, Ramaphosa expressed interest to the media in the idea of selling off Eskom’s ageing fleet of coal-fired power stations. In response, Happy Khambule,…
February 2020
Centurion, 17 February, 2020 – Ten anti-air pollution activists have been released on bail by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court after being held overnight at the Sunnyside Police Station. The activists…
February 2020
Pretoria, 17 Feb 2020 – Ten Greenpeace Africa activists are waiting to appear this morning at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court. The team of activists were arrested yesterday afternoon after running…
February 2020
Centurion, 16 February 2020 — This afternoon, at least six Greenpeace Africa activists wearing superhero costumes leapt onto the SuperSport Park cricket field during the international T20 match between England…
February 2020
Johannesburg, 13 February 2020 — In response to the President’s State of the Nation address, Greenpeace Africa’s Political Advisor, Happy Khambule, has said: “Greenpeace Africa welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement…
February 2020
Johannesburg, 12 February 2020 – Air pollution from burning fossil fuels – primarily coal, oil, and gas – is attributed to an estimated 4.5 million deaths each year worldwide and…
February 2020
Johannesburg, 10 February 2020 – Upon commencing his year-long tenure as chair of the African Union, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa must seize the opportunity to unify the continent on…
November 2019
26 November 2019, Johannesburg — Responding to media reports that Koeberg’s onsite spent fuel storage capacity is 90% full and will be completely full by April 2020, Melita Steele, Greenpeace…
October 2019
Johannesburg, 24 October 2019 — South Africa’s inadequate nuclear liability regulations[1] have finally been updated and gazetted[2] by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe. This news comes after…
October 2019
In the wake of a new bout of load-shedding, the long-overdue Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity (IRP) was finally published for implementation today – following nearly a year of deliberations,…
September 2019
A shoal of surreal, plastic-pollution monsters seized Nelson Mandela University (NMU) campus on 28 August. The anti-plastic-pollution performance was born out of a desire to raise awareness about the plastic…
September 2019
Cape Town, 24 September 2019. This Heritage Day, Greenpeace Africa shared a teaser for an upcoming documentary it produced to amplify the voices of small-scale fishers in the Western Cape.…
September 2019
Something big is coming… all the way from the Arctic to the blue shores of South Africa. An adventure from the north pole to the south pole – a quest…
September 2019
Johannesburg, 5 September, 2019 — Responding to statements made to the media by Eskom’s Chief Operating Officer, Jan Oberholzer, where he warned that blackouts might be an outcome of complying…
August 2019
Johannesburg, 20 August 2019 — Anti-pollution activists from Greenpeace Africa have completely blocked the entrance to Eskom’s Megawatt Park headquarters with a makeshift emergency hospital scene to highlight the premature…
August 2019
It is no exaggeration to say that South Africa has toxic, filthy air. This is particularly true in the Highveld, Vaal and Waterberg, where the Department of Environment, Forestry and…
August 2019
Johannesburg, 19 August 2019 – NASA satellites have found the Kriel area in Mpumalanga to be a global hotspot for deadly sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. A new study commissioned by…
July 2019
The April floods in KwaZulu Natal caused the unnecessary loss of over 70 lives. It was a tragic moment for the province, and the country, as we mourned lost family…
July 2019
11 July 2019, Johannesburg — Today, Minister Gwede Mantashe delivered his budget vote speech for the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and Minister Barbara Creecy delivered her budget vote…
June 2019
19 June 2019, Johannesburg — It was widely anticipated that President Cyril Ramaphosa would announce further governmental support for ailing power utility, Eskom, at the President’s State of the Nation…
June 2019
Johannesburg, 11 June 2019 — As Eskom’s debt approaches a staggering R500bn and South Africa’s economy contracts, the urgency of a business model revamp for the utility could not be…
May 2019
Johannesburg, 30 May 2019: Responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet announcement late last night, Greenpeace Africa’s Senior Political Advisor, Happy Khambule has said: “Greenpeace Africa takes this opportunity to congratulate…
May 2019
Johannesburg, 24 May 2019 — The Department of Environmental Affairs has announced that twenty protected marine areas have been established in South Africa. They have also announced that the unlawfully…
May 2019
Johannesburg, 20 May 2019 – Responding to news reports that Eskom has a received a new bill for R36 billion for unforseen costs at Kusile, which the utility is “shocked”…
May 2019
Johannesburg, 16 May 2019 — Media reported Wednesday that Energy Minister Jeff Radebe, has written a letter to NERSA informing the regulator that it can consider granting licences to small-scale…
April 2019
27 April 2019, South Africa – Greenpeace Africa volunteers from across South Africa visited the head offices of each of South Africa’s top political parties to deliver a petition calling…
April 2019
Last month, South Africans celebrated Human Rights Day – a commemoration of a very dark day in South Africa’s history which pays homage to the peaceful protesters killed during the…
April 2019
Germany is well known for its phase-out of nuclear energy that began as a response to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown. Now, the powerhouse of the European Union has finally…
April 2019
Johannesburg, 9 April 2019 – At least 4.7 million jobs will be created by 2050 across energy sectors in Africa through a shift to renewable energy according to a new…
April 2019
Johannesburg, 5 April 2019 — Responding to the landmark decision by the Pretoria High Court convicting BP of environmental crimes, Melita Steele, Senior Climate and Energy Campaign Manager for Greenpeace…
April 2019
Johannesburg, 3 April 2019 — At today’s Eskom Electricity Supply press briefing, Eskom Board Chair Jabu Mabuza stated that, after analysis, the construction of Medupi and Kusile will be completed…
April 2019
02 April 2019, Johannesburg — In response to news that Eskom has signed a $180 million deal with the New Development Bank for the Renewable Energy Integration and Transmission Augmentation…
March 2019
South African volunteer Shannon Van Vuuren recounts how life changed in Cape Town during one of the country’s worst droughts A woman residing in a small flat, working five days…
March 2019
22 March 2019 — Responding to recent statements made by former President Jacob Zuma that South Africa would not be facing loadshedding if we had gone forward with the R1-trillion…
March 2019
Greenpeace’s updated analysis of a full year of TROPOMI NO2 satellite data and other scientific datasets confirms that the coal-fired power plant and industrial cluster in Mpumalanga is the world’s…
March 2019
Eskom is applying for wide-ranging postponements and suspensions from South Africa’s Minimum Emission Standards (MES) that would allow it to operate its entire existing fleet without even rudimentary controls for…
March 2019
Johannesburg, 20 March 2019 — Responding to Jabu Mabuza’s announcement at yesterday’s system update media briefing that Eskom is considering whether or not to complete construction of both Medupi and…
March 2019
Johannesburg, 19 March 2019 – In October 2018, Greenpeace released a groundbreaking analysis of satellite data from 1 June to 31 August 2018, which showed Mpumalanga is the world’s worst…
