Shell court case prompts climate protest in Cape Town
Image: Bloomberg
Protesters rallied in Cape Town on Saturday before a court ruling on oil and gas exploration by Shell.
Community groups in December won a temporary halt to the company’s seismic survey off SA, pending a decision on whether further environmental authorisation is needed for the work to proceed. The case will reopen on Monday.
Demonstrators held signs that showed the Shell logo and read “Stop all seismic blasting”, which they argue will harm local marine life and disrupt fishing, while the company maintains the practice has been well established and is in line with industry standards.
Efforts to block such activity have gained momentum in SA, echoing a wider movement against oil and gas companies as the world transitions to cleaner fuels. A separate survey off the country’s western coast was blocked earlier this year after activists warned the work would harm marine life.
The department of mineral resources and energy supports the exploitation of oil and gas, both of which are imported due to a lack of domestic production. France’s TotalEnergies is among companies hoping to develop gas discoveries made in the past few years.
Shell and TotalEnergies have also found oil in neighbouring Namibia, in the offshore Orange Basin that extends over the maritime border.
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