In the aftermath of the Western Cape High Court’s decision to scrap environmental authorization for oil and gas offshore drilling activities, which two energy giants, France’s TotalEnergies and the UK-based Shell, planned to undertake in Block 5/6/7, along South Africa’s southwest coast, Shell and the state have opted to continue the legal battle by challenging the court’s ruling.
The environmental and climate lobby’s legal victory , which was secured with a recent ruling delivered by Judge Mangcu-Lockwood , following an intense legal challenge launched by the Green Connection and Natural Justice to expose flaws in how the environmental and social risks were evaluated, is facing a challenge as civil society braces for the next round in the Block 5/6/7 court case.