Communities along the Wild Coast of South Africa where Shell has been carrying out its seismic survey said that the voices of those directly affected by the blasting had finally been heard and the constitutional rights of indigenous people have been upheld.
The Grahamstown High Court in Makhanda on Tuesday granted an interim interdict, putting the brakes on the fuel giant’s project, at least for now.
This was the second urgent application made in a bid to stop Shell in its tracks.
The Amadiba Crisis Committee, representing the interests of the poor and vulnerable communities in the region, said that this case was about making sure that profit-making did not override human rights and giving rural communities a voice.
The group’s Nonhle Mbuthuma said that as coastal communities they were reliant on the sea for centuries and were glad that the court had recognised that their livelihoods could not be sacrificed for short-term profit.
“This is about our livelihood. This livelihood of ours, we’ve lived [with] for centuries,” Mbuthuma said.
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https://ewn.co.za/2021/12/29/shell-interdict-wild-coast-communities-say-their-voices-were-finally-heard