Communities target TotalEnergies in Johannesburg over rising energy costs and fossil fuel expansion

• Activists and community groups to gather outside TotalEnergies head office in Johannesburg on 29 May.
• Protesters demand an end to fossil fuel subsidies and expansion projects such as EACOP and Mozambique LNG.
• Organisations call for Free Basic Electricity allocation to increase from 50kWh to 350kWh through publicly owned renewable energy. 

Communities, labour groups, climate activists and social justice organisations will gather outside TotalEnergies headquarters in Johannesburg on Friday, 29 May, to demand greater corporate accountability and an end to fossil fuel profiteering amid South Africa’s worsening cost of living crisis.

The “Kick Polluters Out Community Assembly & Political School” forms part of the global Kick Polluters Out Week of Action taking place from 23 to 30 May ahead of major fossil fuel company annual general meetings, including those of TotalEnergies and Glencore.

Organisers say the mobilisation will draw attention to the role of fossil fuel companies in driving rising electricity costs while continuing to profit from large scale oil, gas and mining projects across Africa. Protesters are also calling for public funds currently directed toward fossil fuel subsidies and tax incentives to be redirected toward publicly owned renewable energy systems and an expanded Free Basic Electricity programme.

The assembly is expected to highlight growing resistance to fossil fuel developments including the East African Crude Oil Pipeline and Mozambique LNG projects, which activists claim have contributed to environmental destruction, displacement and economic instability in affected communities.

Campaigners from South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Niger Delta and the Democratic Republic of Congo are expected to use the event to strengthen calls for a transition toward affordable clean energy systems that prioritise public welfare over corporate profits.

The Johannesburg assembly is being organised by a coalition of organisations including 350.org, Mining Affected Communities United in Action, Abahlali baseMjondolo and several grassroots community groups.

The event comes as South African households continue to face steep electricity tariff increases. Organisers claim electricity prices have risen by more than 1,172% since 2007, placing increasing pressure on low income households already struggling with food, transport and other living costs.

Activists argue that the current Free Basic Electricity allocation of 50kWh per month is insufficient to meet basic household needs such as cooking, refrigeration, studying and heating water. One of the central demands of the assembly is for the allocation to be increased to 350kWh and supplied through publicly owned renewable energy infrastructure.

Ferro Pedro, Senior Campaigner at 350.org, said the country’s energy crisis reflected a system that treats electricity as a profit driven commodity rather than a basic public right.

“The issue of rising electricity costs is deeply tied to the influence of fossil fuel companies. This is the predictable result of treating energy as a commodity for profit rather than a basic right,” said Pedro.

Key demands from organisers include ending fossil fuel expansion projects, increasing Free Basic Electricity allocations, redirecting fossil fuel subsidies toward renewable energy investment and ensuring affordable electricity access for vulnerable households.

The assembly will include political education sessions, community testimonies, cultural performances and discussions examining the links between energy poverty, rising living costs and fossil fuel expansion.

Details:

Date: Friday, 29 May 2026

Meeting point: Outside TotalEnergies Head Office: Total House, 3 Biermann Avenue, Rosebank, Gauteng, 2196

Author: Bryan Groenendaal