The non-profit organisation has called for an extension on the moratorium on fracking and spelled out its reasons in a 17-page letter addressed to President Zuma and nine of his cabinet ministers.

The letter details the “fatal flaws” in government’s approach to shale gas – among them the lack of a proper public consultation process, the flawed environmental management plans submitted by the applicants and the lack of a proper regulatory framework and enforcement capacity.

This criticism is backed by three research reports: the De Wit review – a critique of the economic model used in the widely quoted Econometrix study into the possible economic benefits of shale gas mining; the Havemann report which examines the environmental management plan submitted by Shell; and a peer-reviewed study released in Canada by the Council of Canadian Academies, found here. It looks at the environmental and social impacts of shale gas mining in Canada.

Available: http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-south-africa/antifracking-lobby-comes-out-guns-blazing