The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) directed that related appeals brought by the State and energy giant-Shell, be heard together as one consolidated matter.
The hearing date will be determined by the Court.
This follows a decision by the Western Cape High Court, back in November 2025, to grant the State and Shell limited leave to appeal on two issues – the consideration of full lifecycle climate impacts and transboundary environmental harm.
The Court ruled Environmental Authorisation for offshore drilling in Block 5/6/7, was unlawful.
The Green Connection and Natural Justice, who took the case to court, said they welcome the decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), against offshore oil and gas exploration in Block 5/6/7, off South Africa’s south-west coast.
Neville van Rooy, the Green Connection’s Outreach Ambassador, said “by directing that the leave to appeal application and the full appeal be heard together, the Supreme Court of Appeal has created a single, consolidated process that goes beyond procedural efficiency. It shortens the path to final accountability and ensures that the Court fully considers the substantive failures identified by the High Court – including the government’s failure to properly take into account the significant risks to the livelihoods of small‑scale fishers, and the resulting asymmetrical assessment of who bears the risks and who stands to benefit from offshore oil and gas exploration.”
Objections to offshore exploration came from coastal communities, small-scale anglers and civil society.
Picture: Supplied