Banners call for a just transition: renewable energy must serve people, not profit.
This week, Earthlife Africa joined community partners and allies in Johannesburg as part of the #KickTotalOutOfAfrica initiative during the Africa Week of Action (18–24 August 2025). The mobilisation stood in solidarity with impacted communities across the continent to demand that TotalEnergies pay up and get out of Africa.
From the Niger Delta to Cabo Delgado, from the EACOP pipeline to South Africa’s threatened coasts, Total’s operations are marked by pollution, displacement, militarisation, and the destruction of livelihoods. Communities are rising to say: enough is enough.
Johannesburg activists demand an end to all government deals with TotalEnergies – no more contracts with polluters.
Program Officer at Earthlife Africa, Ulrich Steenkamp says, “Communities across Africa are carrying the heavy costs of fossil fuel exploitation while corporations like TotalEnergies walk away with massive profits. South Africa does not need more extractivism – we need a just transition that puts people and workers at the centre, builds socially owned renewable energy, and protects our land, air, and water. The time has come to kick polluters out and create an energy future that serves people, not profit.”
At the Johannesburg action, participants reinforced the collective demands:
✊ Cancel all government contracts, licenses, and partnerships with TotalEnergies.
✊ Hold Total accountable — pay reparations for harm, displacement, and pollution.
✊ Protect community rights to land, water, and resources.
✊ Build a just transition to publicly and socially owned renewable energy — for people, not profit.
Earthlife Africa and partners joined voices across the continent in exposing the violence of fossil fuel corporations and pushing for a just, people-centred energy future.
Stay informed, follow Earthlife Africa Johannesburg on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.