In the fourth part of our series of excerpts from the Protect the West Coast (PTWC) Special Report ‘The Tipping Point’, we unpack the Public Participation Process (PPP), which affects South African prospecting and mining applications. PPP is governed by
A collaboration between Protect the West Coast (PTWC) and the community of Elands Bay to apply for World Surfing Reserve status was revealed last week at the Save The Waves Film Festival in Cape Town. The designation provides for the
The Protect the West Coast (PTWC) film ‘Out of Mined’ continues to make an impact around the world and at home in South Africa, including the Richtersveld in the Northern Cape, whose Nama community features in the film as one
Protect The West Coast is dedicated to informing and empowering civil society to stand against unjust mining activity on the West Coast. We believe in wielding the power of legal action to hold companies and the government accountable. We inspire a deep connection to the region’s biodiversity and cultural heritage.
From the Orange River to Cape Columbine, hundreds of kilometres of the South Africa’s West Coast coastline are being mined, or have been earmarked for mining. These industrial-scale extractions have lasting consequences for local communities, fisheries and the natural environment, for generations to come.
Donate, fundraise, volunteer and share on social. We are looking for all the help we can get. So, please assist us in protecting this magical stretch of coastline that thousands of plants, animals and people call home.
Our goals for 2026/27 are to:
Mining, despite providing limited short-term economic benefits, adversely affects ecosystems and has a much larger detrimental knock-on effect on the broader West Coast environment, economy and society over the long term.
There are scores of prospecting and mining applications, as well as numerous active mines, along the West Coast.
One Ocean Hub (OOH) researchers at the Environmental and Geographical Science Department at the University of Cape Town (UCT) have developed a much needed integrated project to monitor, document and map all applications for prospecting and mining, including oil and gas exploration, on the West Coast of South Africa.
Since PTWC’s inception, and through the work we’ve done tracking these applications, it has become apparent that there’s been a sharp rise in applications for prospecting and mining for heavy mineral sands and diamonds in the region, as well as for oil and gas exploration and production. These activities have raised significant concern among coastal communities and their social partners.
