IN THE NEWS

Out of Mined: Profile of Portrait Photographer Gary Van Wyk

As a former press photographer who worked with Eyeforce to make the award-winning film ‘Out of Mined’ for Protect the West Coast (PTWC), Gary Van Wyk is well versed in high-pressure situations, when getting the shot on deadline must be balanced with sensitivity to your subject. This ability, and the technical skills that come with experience, has enabled Gary to produce some of the finest portrait photographs of indigenous people you will see, from the Huni Kuin tribe of the deep Amazon jungle, to the Nama people of the vast Richtersveld, writes PTWC’s Steve Pike

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September 10, 2026

Save the Waves Festival joins PTWC in Cape Town

Some of the best short films from around the world will be screened at the upcoming Save the Waves Film Festival, presented by Protect the West Coast and Wavescape at the Labia Theatre in Cape Town on Wednesday 23 September. Join us for films about surfing, adventure travel and ocean conservation and a panel discussion about the work of Save the Waves in preserving vital surf ecosystems around the world.

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September 9, 2026

PTWC Special Report Series. Part 3: Culture and Colonisation

In the third part of our series of excerpts from the recent Protect the West Coast (PTWC) Special Report publication ‘The Tipping Point’, we look at the history of mining on the West Coast through the prism of colonisation and its impact on the culture of the indigenous population, including the Khoekhoe and Nama people, who have suffered under combination of state capture, mismanaged funds, dysfunctional governance, failed joint ventures, and rapidly declining mineral resources, leading to widespread poverty.

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September 3, 2026

Legal Update: Flurry of Five EAs Exposes Fault Lines in Mining Process

Protect the West Coast’s (PTWC) legal team has revealed a disturbing trend about what it terms reckless decision-making that leads to environmental authorisations for extractive, industrial and development projects in South Africa. PTWC lawyers lodged five appeals in July alone against Environmental Authorisations (EAs) for mining and prospecting in three provinces that it contends should not have been granted. This follows an article in Daily Maverick that called out the miniscule national rate of refused authorisations (3.5%) for such projects over the last two years.

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September 3, 2026

Koos Malgas the Gannet Lands in Lambert’s Bay

Koos Malgas, the 100kg sculpture of a Cape gannet that stands six metres tall, has found his final resting place at the Lambert’s Bay Bird Island Nature Reserve on the West Coast, along with thousands of other Cape gannets, making it the perfect spot for Koos. Crafted from driftwood for Protect the West Coast (PTWC) by Kommetjie artist Chip Snaddon, he is an iconic symbol of the threatened fauna and flora of the West Coast, and already a hit with visitors.

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August 21, 2026

PTWC Special Report Series. Part 2: A Short History of Mining

In the second part of our series from the recent Protect the West Coast (PTWC) Special Report ‘The Tipping Point’, we take a brief look at the history of the West Coast, going back millions of years to the explosive upheavals that forged the hardest substance known to humankind, the diamond. We track the discovery of diamonds, and the growth of mining that spread across the landscape over almost 100 years of resource extraction.

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August 5, 2026

The Storyteller: Q&A with ‘Out of Mined’ Film Director Arthur Neumeier

Arthur Neumeier, the director behind the Eyeforce and Protect the West Coast (PTWC) film ‘Out of Mined’ has built a reputation as one of South Africa’s top adventure and extreme sports filmmakers. As evidenced by the cinematic quality of the movie – which won a Cannes Film Award in July – the Netherlands-born film maker’s work has shifted towards more purpose-driven storytelling, especially environmental issues with a positive impact. In this Q&A with Arthur, he breaks down the journey that enabled him to make a powerful film that has resonated deeply with audiences.

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July 22, 2026

Estuaries: The Hidden Habitats That Keep the West Coast Alive

Scattered along the West Coast are some of the most important yet least protected ecosystems in the country. Estuaries are a key ecological infrastructure, supporting water and food security, tourism, recreation, flood and coastal erosion protection, carbon sequestration and rich biodiversity. These fascinating ecosystems also hold a deep cultural and spiritual meaning for South Africa’s coastal communities, and quietly sustain life along our coast. In the face of growing threats from mining, as well as oil and gas and coastal developments we must ensure the West Coast’s estuaries continue to thrive.

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July 22, 2026

PTWC win: Twiga Global Ore Withdraws Prospecting Application in Succulent Karoo

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) recently notified Protect the West Coast (PTWC) that the company Twiga Global Ore has withdrawn its application to prospect for copper ore, rare earths, zirconium ore and iron ore on farms near Kliprand in the Matzikama District of the Western Cape. PTWC and six others appealed the Environmental Authorisation (EA) for this application in June 2025, which indicates our efforts have had an impact.

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July 13, 2026

PTWC Special Report Series. Part 1: What is the West Coast?

In the first part of our series from the recent Protect the West Coast (PTWC) Special Report ‘The Tipping Point’, we look at the natural environment and people of the West Coast and delve into its geography, ecology and social fabric. Renowned for its stark but beautiful landscapes and vulnerable fauna and flora, the region faces imminent threats by unethical mining and government exploitation. Fragile and vulnerable, the interdependent elements of nature and humankind are ancient and unique, and they require protection before they are lost.

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July 2, 2026

Mega Green Hydrogen Project Under Fire

One of the largest chemical projects ever planned for South Africa has been applied for inland from Langebaan on the West Coast. Phelan Green Group plans to produce vast quantities of synthetic aviation fuel for the European market with a Green Hydrogen and eSAF Plant powered by a 3,000 hectare solar farm, despite large-scale opposition by a number of organisations, including Protect the West Coast.

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July 2, 2026

PTWC Legal Team: Our Appeals Reveal Disturbing Patterns

The legal and science team at Protect the West Coast (PTWC) have had a busy year scrutinising a deluge of over 60 new mining applications and Environmental Authorisations (EAs) across the West Coast and Northern Cape. As an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP), PTWC has submitted 25 sets of comments on questionable applications on legal and scientific grounds. We’ve also submitted seven appeals against Environmental Authorisations (EAs) granted by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR), which have revealed some disturbing trends in the approval process by the sector’s so-called ‘competent authority’.

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July 2, 2026