Africa Wild

Oil and gas hunters target the last refuge of east Africa’s vanishing dugongs


Searcher, an Australian-based oil and gas survey company, is hoping to launch a 3-D seismic survey near the Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique, home to the last viable population of dugongs on the east coast of Africa. (Main photo: Mandy Etpison)

By Tony Carnie | 31 Oct 2023

The global oil and gas survey company "Searcher" is gearing up to blast powerful sound waves into the Indian Ocean, directly adjacent to the last viable population of dugongs on Africa’s east coast.
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Searcher’s hydrocarbon target area is a massive 42,000km2 swathe of sea adjoining the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, a chain of five islands in central Mozambique famed for their idyllic white sand beaches, coral reefs and clear blue waters that make for exceptional diving and snorkelling.

Bazaruto is also home to the mermaid-like dugong, a beleaguered marine mammal that feeds on seagrass meadows. The neighbouring sea is considered to be a globally important living space for whales, dolphins, sea turtles and other marine species.

During the 1960s, large herds of hundreds of dugongs were reported as far north as Kenya and Somalia, but over recent decades their numbers have plummeted. The most recent scientific studies suggest there are now fewer than 250 adult dugongs left along the east African coast – and Bazaruto is home to about 90% of these survivors.

Just last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reclassified the east African dugong population as “critically endangered”, the highest level of risk before a species is declared extinct in the wild.


The East African population of dugongs is now classified as critically endangered. (Photo: Mandy Etpison)

Nevertheless, the Perth-based Searcher group has set its sights on a major 3-D seismic survey near Bazaruto that involves blasting sound waves into the sea to detect underground deposits of oil and gas. It remains unclear whether Searcher is acting on behalf of a single fossil fuels company, or if it is conducting a “multiclient” survey where new seismic data is sold off to several oil companies simultaneously.

Apart from the potential negative impacts of Searcher’s seismic survey near the islands, the future discovery and extraction of major hydrocarbon deposits off central Mozambique raises further concern about oil spills in such a sensitive marine environment.

Significantly, the South African fuel and chemicals giant Sasol previously commissioned similar hydrocarbon seismic studies in the vicinity of Bazaruto – but to its credit, Sasol abandoned its claim to the Mozambican oil and gas exploration blocks 16 and 19 three years ago after a massive public backlash and adverse environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies.

In a statement in July 2020, Sasol announced that it would relinquish its exploration ambitions near Bazaruto “in their entirety” following a pre-feasibility environmental assessment by Golder & Associates.

According to Sasol, it remained committed to compliance with all environmental legislation and undertaking any exploration activity in an environmentally responsible manner.

Searcher, however, has now commissioned similar mandatory EIA studies via the Maputo-based Impacto environmental consultancy group.


The proposed seismic survey area in relation to the Bazaruto Archipelago. (Map: Impacto EIA report)

According to Impacto, no “fatal environmental flaws” were identified during a recent pre-feasibility and scoping study, thus allowing an EIA study for proposed Searcher 3-D seismic project to move forward.

• Apart from the potential negative impacts of Searcher’s seismic survey near the islands, the future discovery and extraction of major hydrocarbon deposits off central Mozambique raises further concern about oil spills in such a sensitive marine environment.

According to the most recent dugong assessment report by the IUCN, an oil spill in Saudi Arabia in 1991 may have been responsible for an observed decline in the local dugong population in that region.

The assessment notes that seagrass and other aquatic vegetation may also be vulnerable to oil spills while acoustic (sound) pollution associated with oil and gas exploration may also negatively impact the health of the Bazaruto dugongs.

Impacto’s summary document on the latest seismic survey suggests that Searcher plans to acquire nearly 11,000km2 of 3-D seismic data, carried out in water depths varying between 200m and 2,500m.


Sandbanks in the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, which is home to more than 100 species of coral, 250 fish species and extensive beds of shallow-water seagrasses. (Photo: Paul Dutton)

Appeal for caution

Already, marine mammal experts are urging the Mozambique government and Searcher to proceed with caution given the high stakes for dugongs and other marine creatures.

In a letter of concern sent to Impacto public consultation coordinator Sandra Fernandes, marine ecology experts Dr Gill Braulik, Erich Hoyt and Dr Giuseppe Notarbartolo note that the seas immediately adjacent to the Bazaruto National Park have been identified as being of global importance for marine mammals.

Writing on behalf of the IUCN Joint Species Survival Commission/ World Commission on Protected Areas (Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force), the three experts say they fear that the proposed seismic survey could have several negative impacts for whales, dolphins and dugongs.

“The Bazaruto Archipelago to Inhambane Bay Important Marine Mammal Area is extremely significant as it supports a critically endangered population of dugongs which is the last remaining viable population in east Africa (Trotzuk et al. 2022) and habitat for the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea), a coastal dolphin found only in the western Indian Ocean that is endangered and decreasing in numbers throughout its range (Braulik et al. 2018). In addition, the area is important for migratory humpback whales, sharks and rays, marine turtles, and marine birds.”


A dugong mother and calf off the coast of Australia. (Photo: Sam Lawrence and Ocean Collective Media)


A schematic view of seismic survey operations. (Image: Impacto EIA report)

They further note that the coastal and deeper waters of the Mozambique channel are heavily used by thousands of humpback whales between May and November each year when they migrate to the area to find a safe haven for giving birth and breeding.

“Dolphins use calls and whistles to transmit information across long distances, connect groups and maintain social interactions, while humpback whales use underwater ‘song’ when breeding and make other sounds to communicate with their young. This means the soundscape of the waters they inhabit is vitally important to their lifecycle.”

Because marine seismic surveys involved the use of high-energy noise sources, possible impacts included interference with the animal’s natural acoustic communication signals; damage to their hearing systems and a range of behavioural changes.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Book of the Dead – the species declared extinct in 2022

“We also, respectfully, direct you to the Convention on Migratory Species, ‘Guidance on Environmental Impact Assessments for Marine Noise-generating Activities’ and encourage you that if the plans proceed, to ensure that the overall survey is as precautionary as possible, with rigorous and fully transparent monitoring so that, at the very least, the effectiveness of the monitoring and mitigation programme can be fairly evaluated.

“We understand that Mozambique is keen to consider more of its hydrocarbon resources as a route to economic development. However, it is important to recognise the great interest and global concern that surrounds the animals that are impacted by such development.

“We respectfully urge you to consider developing more sustainable renewable energies that are both compatible with economic development and will address climate change and are less likely to impact marine life.” DM

Global honour for coastal guardians who told Shell to go to hell


Sinegugu Zukulu (left) and Nonhle Mbuthuma are the joint winners of an international award that honours the leadership of grassroots environmental activists across the world. (Photo: Goldman-Environmental-Prize)

By Tony Carnie | 29 Apr 2024

Two environmental activists, born in remote farm villages along the Wild Coast, have been honoured with a global environmental award for their role in halting seismic blasting tests by the Shell oil and gas multinational off the Eastern Cape coastline.
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Sinegugu Zukulu and Nonhle Mbuthuma – who were both vilified as being “anti-development” and threatened with assassination during separate campaigns to prevent titanium dune mining along the same stretch of coastline – have been named joint winners of the 35th Goldman Environmental Prize for the Africa region.


Following a series of legal battles centred on the protection of the Wild Coast and livelihoods of local communities, the high court declared that oil and gas drilling tests by Shell and Impact Africa were unlawful and that there had been ‘no meaningful consultation’ with local people. (Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize)

Zukulu, 54, is a veteran ecotourism campaigner and former geography teacher at Kearsney College near Durban, while Mbuthuma, 46, is the co-founder and spokesperson for the Amadiba Crisis Committee, a community-based movement opposed to dune mining and other megaprojects along the northern section of the Wild Coast.

The Goldman Awards honour the achievements and leadership of grassroots environmental activists across the world.

Previous winners include Ken Saro-Wiwa, the Nigerian writer and activist hanged by the military government in 1995 for his campaigns against crude oil drilling in the Niger Delta; the late Kenyan “Green Belt” activist Wangari Maathai who went on to become the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize; and Berta Cáceres, the Honduran activist murdered in 2016, just a year after receiving the Goldman Prize.

Earlier today Zukulu and Mbuthuma received their prizes at a ceremony at the San Fransisco Opera House during which seven activists from several parts of the world were honoured for their efforts to draw public attention to threats facing the planet. They will travel to Washington DC later this week for a separate ceremony and a series of civic engagements.

According to the award citation, Zukulu and Mbuthuma played a key role in stopping Shell’s proposed seismic blasting tests for oil and gas along the Wild Coast.

This followed a series of court cases that culminated in a decision by the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Makhanda in 2022 declaring the exploration rights by Shell and Impact Africa to be unlawful.

The judges held that there had been “no meaningful consultation” with local communities and that Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe also failed to take into account the impact on communities, their spiritual and cultural rights, harm to marine and bird life, and climate change.

“Organising their community, Nonhle and Sinegugu secured their victory by asserting the rights of the local community to protect their marine environment. By halting oil and gas exploration in a particularly biodiverse area, they protected migratory whales, dolphins, and other wildlife from the harmful effects of seismic testing,” the citation reads.

In his affidavit to the high court, Zukulu declared that: “The Wild Coast is a place of stunning natural beauty. Unlike other coastal stretches in South Africa, indigenous people have maintained continuous possession of this land despite waves of colonial and apartheid aggression.

“This is no accident. Our ancestors’ blood was spilt protecting our land and sea. We now feel a sense of duty to protect our land and sea for future generations, as well as for the benefit of the planet. Our land and sea are central to our livelihoods and our way of life.

“Multinational corporations now wish to blast our sea every ten seconds for five months with air gun bursts between 220 and 250 decibels – louder than a jet plane taking off – that will be heard underwater more than 100 kilometres away. They want to do this for one reason – to look for oil and gas that they can profit from while worsening the planet’s climate crisis.”


Former Kearsney College geography teacher and master raconteur Sinegugu Zukulu takes a break on the beach while leading a party of hikers on an educational tour of the Wild Coast. (Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize)

In an interview with Daily Maverick shortly before the award was announced officially, Zukulu recalled that he and Mbuthuma had both been labelled as “anti-development” while putting their lives at risk by speaking out to protect the long-term future of their land and community.

He said he was both humbled and encouraged by the award, which would help to showcase their efforts at a global level.

“I have been an activist for more than two decades, but you are not doing this for monetary reward or recognition. We do it because it makes sense to us,” said Zukulu, recalling that he embarked on his pathway “not even knowing that this was “activism”.

“If someone comes to your back yard to trash it, you say ‘No!’ … So, standing up, for me, is the logical path … Our land includes the environment – and the welfare of the people is dependent on the quality of the land, the air, fertile crops, clean water and natural resources. So, if you are alive, then you have to question wrong things.”

Born in the village of Baleni, he attended the local primary and secondary school – before scraping together loans from family and friends to enrol at the University of Transkei to study teaching, followed later by his Masters’ degree studies in environmental management at Stellenbosch University and an eight-year stint as a geography teacher at Kearsney College, a top private school for boys at Bothas Hill.

His passion for teaching was evident as a teenager, when he began sharing his knowledge by providing extra geography lessons for fellow pupils of Baleni Senior Secondary School.

His father became very ill while Zukulu was in Grade 1, so he was raised by his maternal grandmother – a staunch Anglican – when his mother had to move to Durban to find work to support the family.

While many of his classmates preferred to spend their free time herding cattle or hunting birds with catapults, Zukulu excelled at school and got stuck into his studies after discovering a largely unused local library.

After graduating in Umtata, Zukulu moved to Durban to teach at KwaDabeka High School in Clermont, Durban, before shifting to Kearsney at the invitation of the then headmaster, Owen Roberts.

“But I’m a Gemini. We get bored easily by routine and I needed a new challenge.”

So he left Kearsney and spent a year establishing a new teaching programme to assist rural schools before being appointed as an environmental education officer for the SA National Biodiversity Institute.

Zukulu is also a founding member of Sustaining the Wild Coast, a non-government organisation that works with local communities to promote environmental sustainability and earn income from ecotourism ventures along the Wild Coast.

He is also a registered tour guide and leads regular walking trips along the Pondoland coast to raise environmental awareness, with hikers sleeping overnight in the homes of local people.

“We need to demonstrate that ecotourism – not imposed development – is able to benefit local people on a sustainable basis,” he says.

Due to his vocal opposition to an Australian-led plan to strip mine the Wild Coast for heavy minerals, Zukulu learned in October 2006 that there was a price on his head. The alert was sounded by fellow anti-mining activist Siskosophi “Bazooka’ Radebe, who persuaded the hired assassin to call off the hit.

Radebe, however, was not as fortunate. Ten years after saving Zukulu’s life, Radebe was himself gunned down outside his home in the Lurholweni township in Mbizana in front of his teenage son. His murder remains unsolved.


Nonhle Mbuthuma has been beaten up and threatened with death for her work to promote sustainable development along the northern section of the Pondoland Wild Coast. (Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize)

Nonhle Mbuthuma – co-winner of the 2024 Goldman Prize – also had a lucky escape, having been tipped off by Radebe that she was on the assassination list due to her work with the Amadiba Crisis Committee.

Just hours before he was murdered, Radebe called her with a chilling warning: “They are not playing. They want to kill us.”

Undeterred, Mbuthuma has continued her opposition to the dune mining plan, as well as a plan by the SA National Roads Agency to build a new high-speed toll road through the rural homesteads and farmland of her friends and family.

More recently, she was among a group of seven women beaten with knobkieries and then treated for their injuries in hospital while trying to stop construction of a new property development – thought to be a hotel – in the village of Sigidi along the Wild Coast.

“Activists are being targeted or assassinated all over the world … I cope with these threats because of the support of my community. They see it as our fight – not my fight. We are fighting for future generations,” she told Daily Maverick.

Nevertheless, due to the physical and emotional strain of these threats, Mbuthuma says she is particularly grateful that her role as an activist has now been recognised internationally.

“I hope this award will help to strengthen the work we are doing on the Wild Coast and also encourage other local environmental activists to be more supportive.

“I am not ‘anti-development’. In fact, I am for development, but not when it destroys the environment we depend upon. The people and the environment are connected. There is no way they can work without each other, so development and ecology must meet halfway”

Though she can be feisty and outspoken, Mbuthuma states that she was a “very quiet, very focused student” and some of her former teachers later remarked how surprised they were when she emerged as an activist in adulthood.

She believes that her grandfather, who took part in the Pondoland Revolt in the early 1960s, helped to shape and inspire her current work.

“The battles that happened in the 1960s were no different to what is happening today,” she argues, “We are defending our people.

“People try to paint us … anti-development to pull us down and to try to make us feel selfish or inferior. It’s a colonisation of the mind. We must decide our own future rather than being told what to do. Economic development and mega-projects cannot come from the top down.”

Instead, Mbuthuma promotes a variety of community-led development projects that include eco-tourism, fishing cooperatives, the construction of more community access roads and agricultural support programmes for local farmers.

“It is possible to achieve these things. But we must have a government of the people … There must be an ear to listen.” DM