Director of Operations: Treasure Karoo Action Group

As South Africans we are all indebted to the efforts of 25-yearold Jeanie le Roux and the team she works with in the Treasure Karoo Action Group (TKAG). Had they not intervened on our behalf, shale gas extraction in the Karoo would have been a fait accompli. Le Roux, who was raised in Cape Town, is responsible for maintaining the TKAG database that is the basis for the civil and legal battle against shale gas extraction, or fracking, as it is commonly known. After completing her master’s in Environmental Management at the University of Stellenbosch in 2011 she began working for TKAG, in what she describes as her dream job. Le Roux hopes that public awareness about fracking will serve as a catalyst for movement towards recognising humans as part of the ecological-social system, rather than viewing the environment as a static phenomenon and a luxury “retreat” for the rich.

— Taryn Mackay

Twitter: @JeanieleRoux