EFF welcomes ruling to set aside Shell Wild Coast exploration

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have welcomed the Makhanda High Court’s decision to set aside the right granted to Shell to conduct a seismic survey off the Wild Coast.

The EFF says the Department never should have granted the rights

The Red Berets released a statement on 3 September welcoming the decision. The party believes that the Department should never have granted any rights to anyone when communities and groups stressed that not enough consultations were held with different stakeholders who would be affected.

The Makhanda High Court found that the Mineral Resources and Energy Department and Shell did not comply with the relevant legislative requirements. The EFF stated that this decision was ‘classical of an ANC government department’.

Red Berets commends activists and community members who fought against the matter

Speaking about the damage to communities, the Red Berets stated that the Department did not listen to the people’s concerns. 

“The livelihoods of poor citizens and the cultural practices of surrounding communities would have grossly been affected,”

the party said.

The party commended and hailed the activists and community members that fought against the seismic survey. The EFF further called on the Department to stop ‘incurring legal costs’ adding that ‘delinquent Minister Gwede Mantashe’ should be held liable for legal expenses.

Court overturns Shell’s seismic survey exploration rights off Wild Coast

Meanwhile, it was reported that the Eastern Cape High Court has ruled that the exploration rights granted by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Affairs to Impact Africa and Shell were unlawful – putting an end to any seismic survey in the ocean off the Wild Coast.

The rights, extended twice between 2014 and 2021, included permission for what became a controversial seismic survey, which was stopped by an interdict granted in December last year at the behest of Wild Coast communities and civil society organisations who complained of the damaging impact of the survey and that they had not been properly consulted.

The applicants then proceeded to court with “Part B” of their application – to review and set aside the granting of the rights in the first place. Because of its importance and the novel issues raised, the matter was heard by three judges: Judge President Selby Mbenenge, Judge Zamani Nhlangulela and Judge Thandi Norman. Read the full story here.