The Constitutional Court has been asked to put an end to the exploration right granted to Shell to do seismic testing off the Wild Coast.
Wild Coast communities and environmental justice organisations want the Constitutional Court to put an end, once and for all, to the exploration right granted to Shell which allows it to conduct seismic testing in the environmentally- sensitive waters off the Wild Coast.by Shell, Impact Africa and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy , in which they sought to overturn a Makhanda High Court ruling setting aside the exploration right, which had been granted in 2014 and renewed twice.
The applicants, in their argument, say there was no need for this, and that it is not just and equitable, as is required by the Constitution. The applicants also said the SCA had failed to deal with their contention that Shell was required to obtain an environmental authorisation under the National Environmental Management Act before it could conduct its exploration activities.
"The suspension order came as a complete surprise to Greenpeace Africa and Natural Justice," Cupido said.