Civil society protests outside the Gqeberha High Court while lawyers fight to have Shell's exploration right reviewed.
Demonstrators led by affected coastal communities gathered outside the Gqeberha High Court on Monday to show their support at the start of the three-day legal challenge against Shell and Impact Africa's seismic surveys off the Wild Coast, and the 2014 decision by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to grant Shell an exploration right off the coast of South Africa.
Environmentalists say that while they are putting their faith in the justice system, they will not let Shell rest. The coordinator for the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, Desmond D'sa, said nobody was happy with Shell's seismic study.
Part B of the case against Shell and the department - which galvanised widespread protest action across South Africa in 2021 - began on Monday after Shell was temporarily interdicted from undertaking seismic blasting in search of oil and gas along the Wild Coast in December that year, until Part B of the original application had been finalised.
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This time, the case goes beyond the original interdict to review the granting of Shell's exploration...