PTWC launches exclusive range of eco-friendly upcycled bags and backpacks
Protect the West Coast (PTWC) has added a range of eco-friendly bags and backpacks to its merchandise collection. Made from upcycled materials such as Bedouin tents, used sails and advertising banners, these unique, durable bags are available in a wide range of colours and styles that combine sustainability with functionality – and come with a lifetime warranty.
Run West 2024 Wrap! R25,000 raised for PTWC at bumper Run West Trail Run.
A record turnout of 250 runners raised more than R25,000 for the work of Protect the West Coast during the annual Run West event between the Olifants River and Doringbaai.
Trans Hex applies to mine 321 km2 of ocean and 80 km of the West Coast.
The public is encouraged to test PTWC’s new public participation portal Ripl by commenting on a double application by Trans Hex. The mining company has applied for a marine diamond mining right offshore of two eco-sensitive areas and a multi-commodity prospecting right in multiple concessions totalling 321km2 along a huge 80 km swath of the West Coast. The giant crawling machines they intend to employ potentially threaten fisheries, marine and coastal ecology and three marine heritage shipwreck sites.
Introducing Ripl: PTWC’s Revolutionary Digital Tool for Public Participation in Mining Applications
Protect the West Coast (PTWC) has launched Ripl, a revolutionary new digital platform designed to simplify and expand public participation in mining on South Africa’s West Coast. Developed in response to the outdated and often inaccessible Public Participation Process (PPP), Ripl empowers citizens to voice their concerns through a simple interface, ensuring that mining applications are scrutinised more effectively and the industry is held accountable.
Fish by The Sea reapplies to prospect for diamonds on critically biodiverse coast
Fish by the Sea has again applied to prospect on the beach for diamonds near Brand-se-baai, adjacent to an area designated as critically biodiverse. This application adds more potential for beach mining on the West Coast, which is already under severe pressure. The new application is a revised submission of the same area, replacing what was publicised by Protect the West Coast (PTWC) in July. Thanks to public input, the first application was deemed inadequate. The revised version is now open for public comment.
Twiga Global Ore applies to prospect for minerals in arid-zone biodiversity hotspot
The company Twiga Global Ore has applied to prospect for copper ore, rare earths, zirconium ore and iron ore on a series of farms that fall within the internationally recognised Succulent Karoo Biome – the only arid-zone biodiversity hotspot in the world.
Cofferdam mining destroys several West Coast surf spots, more coastline under threat
Protect the West Coast (PTWC) has learned that three great surf breaks on the Namaqualand coast near the Orange River Mouth at Alexander Bay in the Northern Cape have been destroyed forever, apparently by rock-based cofferdams used in the mining industry to extract diamonds from inshore zones, with no signs of them stopping soon.
New bulk diamond prospecting application in heavily mined West Coast zone
A company, Fish By The Sea, has applied to bulk-prospect for diamonds on a pristine and fragile stretch of the West Coast already heavily burdened by a deluge of prospecting applications and existing mining operations.
The Mines of Mordor: PTWC aerial photo team captures hidden destruction of West Coast
A media crew from Protect the West Coast recently teamed up with top marine conservation photographer and pilot Jean Tresfon to shoot stills and video footage of mining operations – and the damage they are wreaking – of the entire West Coast from the open cockpit of his gyrocopter, the first time such a project has ever been undertaken.
New prospecting application to mine heavy minerals in Namaqualand.
Public comments urged as Gauteng-based company, registered only in 2023, Nurulos (Pty) Ltd applies to prospect for shopping list of minerals in a sensitive part of Namaqualand on the West Coast.