About us

Our organisation grew out of a campaign for the University of Cape Town to stop investing in fossil fuels that started in 2013.

FFSA was legally established as a non-profit organisation in early 2015.

Mission

We work to secure human rights and prosperity by challenging the financial and social support of the fossil fuel industry in two key ways:

Encouraging universities, companies, organisations, and public and private investors to divest from fossil fuel and related investments, and to cease activities that support the fossil fuel economy and in other ways worsen climate change and ocean acidification through emissions of greenhouse gases; and
Challenging the social and cultural license of the fossil fuel industry, which it maintains through greenwashing, the fossil fuel development paradigm and a conception of economic growth that excludes proper consideration of social and environmental damage.

We envision a prosperous, equitable and sustainable South Africa, where:

Current and future generations of people, without distinction, flourish in peace and health
Everyone is supported by a stable climate, clean air and water, and thriving ecosystems
Communities are energy independent, and have access to renewable energy, green jobs, and stable energy costs
Our leaders govern honestly and support a socially just democracy, without the vested interests of fossil fuels
Fossil fuel companies have closed down or evolved into sustainable energy enterprises in a circular economy

In 2024, our Fossil Ad Ban campaign won South Africa’s first greenwashing complaint with the Advertising Regulatory Board, against TotalEnergies.
Our Clean Creatives South Africa campaign has helped 57 advertising and PR agencies pledge, over the past two years, to cease or refuse any work from the fossil fuel industry.
We have developed a Planet A Investment Guide for fossil-free, green and socially responsible investments. We also created Climate Reporting Guides for South African and African journalists to promote informed reporting on the climate crisis. Check out our resources section to learn more.
In 2022, our lobbying resulted in the University of Cape Town’s responsible investment panel making a landmark recommendation for fossil fuel divestment to the University.
We were one of the lead organisers on the September 2019 Financing the Future Conference, the first global divestment conference in the Global South.

Our lobbying, with the endorsement of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, successfully pushed the University of Cape Town to become the first African university with a responsible investment committee in 2018, and we have now twice passed votes at UCT’s Convocation for the university to divest. Read our full campaign timeline here.
Our 2018 Spotlight Campaign started pressuring asset managers to create fossil-free funds.
We held successful workshops on divestment for asset managers in 2017 and, in partnership with the UN-supported Principle for Responsible Investment, for retirement funds in 2019.
With 350 Africa, we helped push the City of Cape Town to become the first African city to commit to divestment from fossil fuels in 2017.
We’ve built up a substantial body of expertise and connections on the climate, finance and responsible investment nexus in South Africa. This includes consulting on and supporting the creation of South Africa’s only fossil-free equity fund, the BCI Select ESG Equity Fund, which excludes Sasol and all thermal coal.

A stable climate and societies, healthy children, clear air and water, a switch to wind and solar energy, green jobs, stable energy costs and energy independence, honest governance, more land for food and forests, sound investments, fewer wars and quieter cities, all of which are threatened by fossil fuels: oil, gas and coal
The fossil fuel industry loses unfounded financial and social support, contributing to a just transition to leaner energy alternatives and a more democratic economy that guarantees fundamental human and socio-economic rights consistent with our Bill of Rights
De-funded fossil fuel sector. Citizen investors no longer have to invest in fossil fuels.
It’s quite in-depth – check it out here.