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Activists protest new oil and gas exploration at African Energy Week

Protesters called for an end to fossil fuel development, citing climate change concerns.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Activists protest new oil and gas exploration at African Energy Week

What this story says

  • Climate activists protested outside the African Energy Week conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Protesters called for an end to new oil and gas exploration across the continent.
  • Activists cited the Paris climate agreement and warned of worsening climate change impacts.
  • South Africa is seeking to expand oil and gas development to attract investment and bolster energy security.

Who covered it

Left 50%(11)Centre 45%(10)Right 5%(1)

Percentages are shares of the 22 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 24 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

60/100

Craft

65/100

Hype

20/100

24 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

Only 1 of the 22 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Climate activists picketed outside the African Energy Week conference in Cape Town, South Africa. The protesters, including groups like Greenpeace Africa and Extinction Rebellion, called for an end to new oil and gas exploration on the continent. They argued that further investment in fossil fuels would worsen climate change and harm communities already affected by its impacts.

The activists challenged the positioning of Africa as a new frontier for fossil fuel development. They stated that expanding fossil fuel use runs counter to commitments made under the Paris climate agreement to reduce emissions. Protesters also accused energy companies of prioritizing profits over people and the environment.

South Africa is pursuing expanded oil and gas development as a means to attract investment and strengthen its energy security. The government has presented natural gas as a complement to renewable energy sources, suggesting gas-fired plants could provide electricity during periods of low wind and solar output. British energy giant Shell has plans to drill up to five deepwater wells off South Africa’s west coast to explore for oil and gas deposits.

Disagreement on protestor's specific claims

Washington Top News reported that Siya Myeza, a climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace Africa, stated that "Oil companies from overseas have made billions in profits this year alone at the expense of people’s lives, at the expense of ecosystems, at the expense of African lives." Myeza also branded the gathering “Africa Exploitation Week.” Other reports did not include these specific claims or quotes.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated, centre-rated, or right-rated digests mention the specific claims made by Siya Myeza of Greenpeace Africa, including the statement about oil companies making billions in profits and branding the event "Africa Exploitation Week." The full report from Washington Top News included these details.

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 60 times, most recently on 14 Oct 2026, 06:45, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

11 rated outlets

  • The left-rated reports focused on the activists' demands for an end to new oil and gas exploration and their arguments against fossil fuel development. These reports highlighted that Greenpeace Africa and Extinction Rebellion campaigners challenged efforts to position Africa as a new frontier for fossil fuel development, arguing that further investment would worsen climate change. The left-rated reports also mentioned the activists' accusations that energy companies prioritize profits over people and the environment, and that expanding fossil fuel use contradicts Paris climate agreement commitments.

Centre

10 rated outlets

  • The centre-rated reports highlighted the protest outside the African Energy Week conference and the activists' call for an end to new oil and gas exploration. These reports noted that the activists accused energy companies of prioritizing profits over people and the environment. The centre-rated reports also included information about South Africa's efforts to expand oil and gas development for investment and energy security, and Shell's plans for deepwater drilling.

Right

1 rated outlet

  • The right-rated report mentioned that climate activists picketed outside the African Energy Week conference and demanded an end to new oil and gas exploration across the continent. It also stated that Greenpeace Africa and Extinction Rebellion campaigners accused energy companies of prioritizing profits over people and the environment.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Activists protest new oil and gas exploration at African Energy Week?
Of the 22 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 50% are rated left, 45% are rated centre, 5% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 24. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Activists protest new oil and gas exploration at African Energy Week left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 22 rated outlets on this story, 50% are rated left, 45% are rated centre, 5% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Activists protest new oil and gas exploration at African Energy Week biased?
Activists protest new oil and gas exploration at African Energy Week is one event reported by 24 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Activists protest new oil and gas exploration at African Energy Week?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Activists protest new oil and gas exploration at African Energy Week?
24 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
Why did climate activists protest at African Energy Week?
Activists protested to call for an end to new oil and gas exploration across Africa. They argued that expanding fossil fuel use would worsen climate change, contradict Paris climate agreement commitments, and that energy companies prioritize profits over people and the environment.
What are South Africa's plans for oil and gas development?
South Africa seeks to expand oil and gas development to attract investment and bolster energy security. The government views natural gas as a complement to renewables, potentially powering plants when wind and solar output is low.
What specific actions did the activists take?
Activists picketed outside the conference venue. Some wore T-shirts with the slogan "Make polluters pay." Police were reported to have removed the protesters.

Read it at the source

24 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

11
Show 3 more

Centre

10
Show 2 more

Right

1

Not rated

2

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

African Energy Week protest | MediaBias News