Activists from Greenpeace Africa, groundWork and Earthlife Africa JHB, this morning hoisted a banner and chained themselves to the entrance of Megawatt Park, Eskom’s headquarters in Johannesburg.

The action was to bring attention to the fact that “coal power dries up SA’s water resources,” and that the “South African government and Eskom are making disastrous choices in favour of coal expansion.”

Therefore, they decided to “install a new Eskom CEO, a new Stakeholder Engagement Director, and new Spokesperson.”

Said the Greenpeace Africa website:

Eskom needs new management because it continues to fail the people of this country, prioritising coal power to the exclusion of every other option. Coal-fired power stations damage people’s health, use staggering amounts of scarce water, accelerate climate change, and do not deliver affordable, accessible electricity to all South Africans.

So from today Eskom is putting people first by:

Ending South Africa’s addiction to coal and investing in renewable energy instead

• Providing sustainable jobs
• Averting a water crisis in South Africa
• Providing affordable electricity access for all
• Making sure the people of this country do not suffer the health impacts associated with coal-fired power stations and coal mines

One Tweet from the scene read that the army may try to remove the peaceful protesters, and another confirmed that two activists had been taken away by police.

Greenpeace has directed those wanting more information to its report that “makes clear connections between coal power and water scarcity.”

[Source: Twitter]