In a real-life David and Goliath drama, the local people of the Wild Coast find themselves, again, defending their rights to a clean and healthy environment as the giants of industry and government appeal the historic judgement which in September 2022 set aside Shell’s exploration right, after finding that coastal communities had not been adequately consulted, among other issues.
Last Friday, supporters of the Sustaining the Wild Coast, Natural Justice, Greenpeace Africa and others were encouraged to assemble outside the courthouse in Bloemfontein and to hold ‘Not on our watch’ vigils around the country.
The Green Net put a call out for a gathering on Southport Beach last Friday, and people started arriving from about 17:30.
A beautiful prayer was shared, and candles lit while we celebrated the magnificence of our beautiful ocean and region that, unfortunately, is under continuous threat by those who seem to put profit above people.
Ironically, this comes shortly after two environmental activists, Sinegugu Zukulu and Nonhle Mbuthuma from the Wild Coast, received a global environmental award at the 35th Goldman Environmental Prize for the Africa region for their roles in stopping the seismic testing.
The Wild Coast/Shell verdict set for our coastal communities was challenged by Shell, Impact Africa, Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe and Barbara Creecy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment last Friday.
The floods of April 2022 damaged the Durban SAPREF crude-processing refinery, a 50/50 joint venture between oil majors Shell and BP, and Shell lost its refining capacity.
This apparently pushed Shell to announce last week, the quitting of its South African downstream concerns, which include 600 petrol stations. No mention is made of job losses, Shell’s ecological reparations, nor how they intend detoxifying the South Durban community and beaches.
Shell’s financial support of ANC-affiliated Thebe Investment, valued at R3.7 billion for its 28% stake, fuels our ruling party’s addiction to gas and oil.
This addiction has led to the approval of more offshore methane gas drilling and military interventions in resource-rich regions such as Cabo Delgado, Mozambique and the eastern DRC.
In 2021, Oceans Not Oil garnered nearly 500 000 petition signatures, marched, picketed and protested on beaches nationwide to object to Shell and Impact Africa’s lack of community consultation, failure to consider coastal cultural heritage and global warming when it arrived unannounced with a seismic survey authorisation from 2013 to look for oil and gas off the Wild Coast.
Hope was lit, then blazed, when the September 2022 High Court judgment set aside Shell’s exploration right.
The outcome of the appeal that began on May 17 will be critical for the future health and safety of our coastline.
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