Protestors and performing artists gathered at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg to protest against seismic exploration by Shell in this December 2021 file picture. The legal challenge over government approvals of such surveys goes to court in June.
The legal challenge concerning offshore seismic surveys along South Africa's West Coast and Northern Cape coastline has reached a critical juncture, as key parties in the case have submitted their Heads of Argument and joint practice note in the Western Cape High Court. The case pits Aukotowa Fisheries Primary Co-operative, The Green Connection, and Natural Justice (the Applicants) against the government and TGS Geophysical Company UK Ltd (the Respondents), with hearings set for next month.
Neville van Rooy, Outreach Ambassador for The Green Connection, said the crux of the matter is not a moral question on the merits of oil and gas, but whether government officials considered all pertinent information before granting authorisation for the seismic surveys. "Our case is that they did not," he said. Van Rooy said the evidence presented aims to prove that significant concerns, primarily the potential impact on small-scale fishing communities and their livelihoods, were inadequately assessed. The cumulative effects of prolonged seismic blasting and the troubling reach of underwater noise are issues that experts argue were overlooked in environmental reports relied upon by decision-makers.
