IN THE NEWS

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and the Environment (DFFE) recently notified Protect the West Coast (PTWC) that the company Twiga Global Ore has withdrawn its application to prospect for copper ore, rare earths, zirconium ore and iron ore on farms near Kliprand in the Matzikama District of the Western Cape.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

Out of Mined wins Cannes Film Award after sold out World Premiere

The international extent of Protect the West Coast (PTWC) took a giant leap forward over the weekend when the feature documentary, ‘Out of Mined’, which was produced in association with Eyeforce, won a Cannes Film Award. The prestigious honour came a little more than a week after the film held its world premiere at a packed out Labia Theatre, selling out all four cinemas at the iconic Cape Town venue, and then selling out an additional screening a week later.

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June 30, 2026

Controversial St Helena Bay Prospecting Application Rejected

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) has refused to issue an Environmental Authorisation for an application by Gauteng based company Zuculox (Pty) Ltd to prospect for diamonds, copper, tungsten and heavy minerals at Britannia Bay, near St Helena Bay on the Cape West Coast. The prospecting application attracted attention because it was the furthest south such an application – initially made public in mid-2025 – had ever been made, and was located in the middle of farmland and residential zones, in an environmentally sensitive area.

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June 4, 2026

Lungs of the World: The Benguela Marine Ecosystem off the West Coast

In the second part of our positive, science-based series, we dive into the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME). Considered one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world, this system off the West Coast hosts a huge diversity of marine species and supports nearly 10 million people along its shores, and beyond. This is why it is important to consider the long-term impacts of extraction as mining creeps from the land into the sea.

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June 4, 2026

Return of the Giants: Humpback Superpods recorded off West Coast

Renowned ocean conservationist and apex predator specialist Chris Fallows has been in the news after he recorded world record ‘superpods’ of humpback whales off the West Coast. Chris spoke to Protect the West Coast (PTWC) about this significant conservation victory and what a critically important role whales play in the ocean ecosystem. The discovery is great news for the West Coast … for a change. Part 1 of a series of positive stories about the region.

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May 28, 2026

PTWC Appeals Flawed Authorisation Granted to Richwill Diamonds in Northern Cape

Protect the West Coast (PTWC) has filed an appeal against an Environmental Authorisation (EA) granted to Richwill Diamonds to prospect for diamonds along a critically sensitive stretch of Northern Cape coastline. The appeal identifies several serious flaws in the assessment and decision-making process. It is the latest development in a saga involving Richwill’s attempts to prospect in the area – including a charge of alleged trespass on one of the affected farms – that has been running for years, and across two provinces.

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May 20, 2026

Approval of Inadequate Environmental Management Programme Spurs PTWC Appeal

Protect the West Coast (PTWC) has lodged an appeal against the approval of an upgraded Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) for Trans Hex’s diamond mining operations in sea concessions and corresponding surf zones 11A, 12A and 13A along the West Coast. PTWC contends that the approval is unlawful because it is built on incomplete science, and the upgraded EMPr is now missing rehabilitation obligations included in a previous iteration of the EMPr. Moreover, despite a 2023 High Court Order that specifically required Trans Hex to conduct adequate specialist studies, identify no-go areas, assess cumulative impacts and properly engage with the coastal communities most affected, the PTWC appeal contends that these have not been sufficiently complied with.

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May 5, 2026