OUR ORGANISATION
We are a network of South Africans calling for divestment from fossil fuel companies – and restorative reinvestment in sustainable energy – to stigmatise fossil fuel use, accelerate sustainable system change, help slow climate change, reduce the financial risks of fossil fuel investments, and so help secure our human rights and common future.
Fossil Free South Africa was legally established as a voluntary association in early 2015.
We’re part of the global divestment movement originally inspired by 350.org and now spanning more than 1600 institutions that include churches, philanthropies retirement funds, cities like New York, London, Paris, Melbourne and Cape Town, and assets valued at over $40 trillion (as of 2021). By 2024, over three-quarters of UK universities had made divestment pledges.
Our story so far
Fossil Free SA was born from the campaign to persuade the University of Cape Town to divest, from 2013, and become a registered non-profit in 2014 with a broader goal of facilitating fossil fuel divestment in South Africa.
In 2017, we helped persuade the City of Cape Town to divest, and we were at last instrumental in securing divestment by Africa’s top-rated university, the University of Cape Town, in March 2022.
We continue to engage other universities, notably Wits and Stellenbosch; and South African asset managers, on divestment.
From 2021, our work expanded to challenge fossil fuel company greenwashing under the banner of our Clean Creatives SA and Fossil Ad Ban campaigns, and our climate journalism initiatives.
Please support our campaigns and watch our timelines and news for updates.
Prospectus
The global divestment campaign has been endorsed, by, amongst others:
The late Archbishop Emeritus and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu (who also endorsed our UCT campaign)
The World Council of Churches
The Anglican Church in the UK, Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, and Australia)
South African campaign endorsements
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Archbishop (of Cape Town) Thabo Makgoba
Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute (watch Bishop Geoff Davies explain why divestment is vital)
Pregs Govender, former MP and deputy chair of the SA Human Rights Commission (in her personal capacity)
Ronnie Kasrils, former minister of water affairs and forestry.
Simon Gear, anchor of SABC3 environment programme 50/50.
East Rand Protective Workshop
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Dr Eduard Grebe
Dr Claire Kelly
James Irlam, senior lecturer, Health Sciences
Richard Calland, associate professor, law faculty
Cormac Cullinan, research associate of the Department of Public Law at UCT
Phoebe Barnard, lead climate scientist at SANBI: “As a ‘leading Afropolitan university’, UCT can show Africa and South Africa true leadership here.”
Professor Ralph Hamann, Graduate School of Business
Tania Katzschner, senior lecturer, School of Architecture
Endorsements for this campaign are now being added to our petition calling on the University of Cape Town to be true to its own research and traditions, and divest from fossil fuels. If you’re part of the UCT community, please do add your signature.
If you are part of a South African organisation that endorses this movement, please message us so we can add your name. We value all our supporters equally. But if you are, say, a professor or run an investment company, your endorsement, like the names above, could be very helpful, so please let us know.
Our campaign was originally inspired by the work of 350.org.
Our campaign was originally inspired by the work of 350.org. We have close working relationships with 350 Africa, and with Just Share. We are a registered network supporter of the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment. Our UCT campaign has been an ongoing partnership with the student members of the Green Campus Initiative, and at Stellenbosch University we have a strong relationship with the EcoMaties student environmental society. We are affiliated with the SA Climate Justice Coalition.