The Western Cape High Court has just thrown a spanner in the works for Shell and TotalEnergies, cancelling their environmental authorisation to explore for oil off the Cape coast.
The block in question, known as 5/6/7, lies between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas and stretches into the prolific Orange Basin, the same oil-rich area where Namibia has been striking gold (well, black gold) lately.
Judge Nobahle Mangcu-Lockwood ruled that the companies failed to tick some crucial boxes. These included not properly assessing the socioeconomic impact if there was an oil spill and not taking climate change into account in their planning.
Still, it’s not a complete shutdown. The court says TotalEnergies should be given a chance to come back with improved assessments to “cure the deficiencies identified.”
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TotalEnergies has been trying to hand over operatorship of the block to Shell, with PetroSA keeping a minority stake. But with this ruling, their plans have hit a red light.
Environmental group Natural Justice, which was one of the applicants, is calling it a big win. They say the judgment sends a clear message — oil companies must follow due process, do thorough studies, and actually listen to communities before firing up the drills.
With the west coast fast becoming the next oil hotspot after Namibia’s finds, this ruling could slow down the rush — at least for now.
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