“People power stopped Shell in South Africa” — Nonhle Mbuthuma, activist protesting Shell at sea

Community activist Nonhle Mbuthuma shows support as two more Greenpeace climbers board the Shell oil platform that is being transported to an oilfield north of the Shetland Islands. © Marie Jacquemin / Greenpeace

My name is Nonhle, I am an activist born and raised in Xolobeni, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. I was on a boat in the English channel, supporting people who are occupying one of Shell’s oil platforms on its way to the North Sea so Shell can pump out up to 45,000 barrels of oil a day, for over 20 years.

We are demanding that fossil fuel companies like Shell stop drilling, shift to renewable energy and start paying for the damage they’ve done.

Two more climbers from Germany and France joined the four activists occupying Shell’s 34,000 tonne oil platform. I boarded the vessel Merida, along with climate advocates from Africa, the Middle East and Europe, to challenge Shell even further. 

The oil giant has hit Greenpeace International with an injunction, threatening up to TWO YEARS jail time for a peaceful protest. If they feel inconvenienced by this, imagine what it feels like to be on the frontlines of the climate breakdown they’re causing.

Why should you care?

Oil drilling is destroying the planet, but it’s also destroying communities living in areas near fossil fuel developments. If we do nothing, communities will be forced to leave their ancestral homes, with no compensation. And it doesn’t end there, our serene and protected biodiversity is also at stake.

For decades, oil giants like Shell have been driving climate devastation that is being felt by all of us, particularly countries in the Global South that have contributed the least emissions. Yet, Shell continues expanding and making money at our expense. A perfect example is what they tried to do in the Wild Coast close to where I live. 

When local communities and organisations caught wind of Shell’s plans to explore oil and gas in the ocean, we banded together to stop them. In a historic decision by South African courts, Shell’s right to conduct seismic blasting off the ecologically sensitive Wild Coast was revoked after taking the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to court for their reckless decision.

Community activists Noa Helffer, Hussein Ali Ghandour and Nonhle Mbuthuma holding banners saying “Stop Drilling. Start Paying” in their home languages. © Marie Jacquemin / Greenpeace

People power stopped Shell in South Africa — this time, we must stop companies like Shell from exploring for oil and gas elsewhere once and for all. Will you sign the petition demanding Shell stop worsening the climate crisis and pay up for the climate damage they’ve caused?

Like my father used to say: “Humans are not more important than nature, we must look after nature because it looks after us — we can’t survive without nature”. 

Sign our petition, tell Shell to stop drilling, and start paying for the death and destruction they are causing worldwide!

Take action

This article was first published by Daily Maverick on 10 February 2023.

Nonhle Mbuthuma is one of the Greenpeace International activists who took against Shell as it heads for a major oil and gas field. Learn more about the action here.