Another victory for Wild Coast communities over Shell
The High Court in Makhanda has set aside Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe's decision to grant oil giant Shell a permit to do seismic surveys on the Eastern Cape Wild Coast.
The Legal Resource Centre says part B of the case is a victory for the Wild Coast communities who are directly impacted by gas exploration.
The case was brought by the Sustaining the Wild Coast NPC, the communities, small-scale fishers and other role players represented by the LRC and Richard Spoor Attorneys.
The judgment handed down on Thursday follows a two-day hearing held on May 30 and 31 at the Gqeberha High Court.
The parties involved had already won part A of the case which interdicted Shell from conducting seismic exploration which was due to get underway in December 2021.
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Legal Resource Centre lawyer Wilmien Wiccomb says the Minister never consulted the communities before granting the permit.
She says this is a huge victory for the Wild Coast community.
"This is a massive victory for these communities who are directly affected by this exploration permit. In future, I think this will change the way the State and companies operate. They will no longer ignore communities even if they're poor.”
