'Don't frack with our Karoo'

Trees in Prince Albert were shrouded in black two weeks ago to protest against fracking in the Karoo. Photo: Leon Nell

PRINCE ALBERT NEWS – Villagers of Prince Albert joined hands with the international community on Saturday 22 September in a world-wide anti-fracking day to voice their opposition against extracting natural shale gas and petroleum resources by fracturing rock (fracking).

A number of trees in the central business district were shrouded in black material with slogans such as "Frack Off," "Frack in Karoo = Death," "I like my ground water" and "Don't frack with our Karoo."

The 14-month moratorium on fracking was lifted by the government earlier in the month after an 84-page report was released by Gideon Steyl of the chemistry department of the University of the Free State (UFS), Gerrit van Tonder of the Institute of Groundwater Studies, also at UFS, and Luc Chevallier of the Council for Geoscience, even though these scientists urged government to tread very carefully.

Fracking has become a contentious issue over the years. One group backs fracking for job creation and the availability of natural resources it provides, while the other opposes the practice due to the dangers of pollution. Those living in the Karoo are particularly concerned that fracking will pollute the most precious of commodities – water.

In Cape Town about 100 protesters marched on parliament, while Treasure Karoo Action Group chairperson Jonathan Deal declared that he was not convinced that fracking was the only way to obtain natural resources. "We have been asking for transparency from various departments," he said. "But we have not heard from them." He also expressed a real concern that the government's judgement had been clouded by the promise off big money by major oil companies.

Fracking has been banned in numerous countries. In America, Sean Ono Lennon, the son of the late Beatle John Lennon and Yoko Ono, became so enraged with a woman on twitter who backed fracking that he told her: "You are an argument for abortion."

- Oudtshoorn Courant