Please find an attached soundbite by Dave Bryant MP
The DA this week visited the Cape Town Harbour to see the scale of the seismic blasting ship, Amazon Warrior, which is due to begin operations along the Wild Coast from next month.
Yesterday I wrote to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy to again urge her to intervene.
Two weeks ago I called on the Minister to lend her support to calls to halt the blasting and allow for an updated round of environmental public participation as the last public participation took place in 2014. There has unfortunately been no indication yet that the government has any intention of intervening to protect the fragile Wild Coast marine environment.
The blasting which is due to be carried out by Shell was approved by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, in consultation with the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. It will consist of five months of powerful deep water blasting all the way from Morgan’s Bay to Port St Johns. The blasting could have a devastating impact on local marine life, including the numerous whale species that frequent the area. It is likely that some of these whales will be calving during this period.
The DA remains gravely concerned about the proposed blasting and will be working with partners across the country, including civil society and residents, in the coming week to highlight the potential environmental devastation that could be wrought on our oceans if the blasting goes ahead.