Protesters gathered outside the Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel on Saturday morning, to protest seismic blasting off the Wild Coast.
On Monday, May 30, the Makhanda High Court will deliberate whether to permanently revoke the right of Shell and Impact Africa to conduct seismic surveys.
In December last year, the Makhanda High Court granted an interim interdict forcing Shell to halt its seismic surveys.
The protest took place outside the hotel as its majority shareholder, Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI), owns 49% of Impact Oil and Gas, which in turn holds a 50% stake in the Wild Coast offshore blocks, through its subsidiary, Impact Africa. The other 50% is owned by Shell.
One of the volunteers at Greenpeace Cape Town, Elaine Mills, said with the court case coming up, they want to ensure that there is adequate public consultation when the court makes its decision.
“The seismic survey is very damaging to marine life, small-scale fishermen, and the tourism industry,” she said.
“We hope that the court permanently revokes the permit and orders the firms to do a proper public consultation, and environmental impact assessment,” she added.
“I think that once that is done, they will not grant the permit again. The wild coast is a biodiversity hotspot with a lot of endangered species.”
A group of around 40 people are protesting seismic blasting outside the Southern Sun Waterfront in Cape Town this morning.
— Keshia Africa (@africaquiche) May 28, 2022
From Monday, 30 June, the High Court will deliberate whether to permanently revoke the right of Shell & Impact Africa to conduct surveys. | @WeekendArgus pic.twitter.com/8M8WA9T0hE
A small-scale fisher from Port St John, Ntsindiso Nongcavu, said their profession has experienced the harrowing effects of global warming and climate change.
“The more they exploit the remaining offshore fossil fuels, the more it will impact us and our ability to sustain our livelihoods,” he said.
He added: “We are the ones who go to bed hungry when there is no fish to catch or when we are barred from entering the ocean.”
“We know of the devastation Shell has caused in other places and we do not want that here. We, therefore, continue to oppose oil and gas as well as seismic surveys.”
Strategic lead from the Green Connection, Liz McDaid said the protest is in support of the court case against the two companies.
“Oil and gas offshore drilling threaten the future of the ocean, and all of those whose livelihoods depend on it,” she said.
McDaid said their message to all investors is that there is only one planet.
“The climate crisis is real and we would like them to invest their money in things that will help us transition away from fossil fuels, that will help us combat the climate crisis,” she said.
She added: “They should not be part of the problem, we need them to be part of the solution.”
“If we win, it’s back to the drawing board where people get consulted and it forces these big companies to turn away from oil and gas.
McDaid said the small-scale fishers who depend on the ocean for their livelihood, have not been involved in these decisions.
“Their livelihoods are completely at risk. They’re the ones who suffer,” she said.
“We want the government to pull back on the permits for oil and gas exploration. We want to have a proper environmental roadmap where everyone is involved,” she added.