Remember Fikile Ntshangase
Dear Fossil Free SA supporter,
Today marks the first anniversary of the brutal killing of anti-coal activist Fikile Ntshangase; a reminder, were it needed, that the bitter effects of the fossil fuel industry run far deeper than greenhouse gas emissions: to pollution, warfare, corruption, inefficiency, waste and the human rights abuses exemplified by Fikile’s tragic death. Do please read groundWork’s most recent report and update on her death.
At the time, many of you signed on to our letters to officials asking them to actively pursue justice for Fikile, and requesting protection for Nonhle Mbuthuma.
We have sent several follow-ups to these letters, including to the Presidential Hotline, but unfortunately, have to date had no responses.
Fikile, however, has not been forgotten. Her life was recently also commemorated in a Guardian podcast.
Today has been a day of action to remember her death: Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) and Women Affected by Mining United in Action (WAMUA) have called for actions around the country demanding that the right to free prior and informed consent (FPIC) be included in legislation governing the Mining Sector.
Tomorrow, if you are in Cape Town, you can attend a vigil for Fikile at Ashley Kriel Hall, Community House, 41 Salt River Road, at 4pm.
Let’s work together for a future in which all lives are held sacred and no one is sacrificed for profit.
In solidarity,
David and the Fossil Free SA team
