The Green Connection and Natural Justice are ready for court, the organization said in a statement yesterday.
Liziwe McDaid, Strategic Lead at the Green Connection, said they received notification that the Minister and the Director-General of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE), along with TotalEnergies EP South Africa (TEEPSA) will oppose their joint legal challenge against the decision to grant environmental authorisation for exploratory drilling in block 5/6/7, located off the coast between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas.
McDaid said, “the Green Connection believes in good governance and for that reason we believe that it would be unfair to the ocean and those that depend on it if TEEPSA 5/6/7 was to continue. We believe that the process has been flawed and we are therefore in court. With the news that all the respondents intend to oppose us in court, we remain steadfast in ensuring that good governance prevails and that we also do not take and end up with those activities that will hinder South Africa’s efforts to combat climate change.”
Melissa Groenink-Groves, who works for an organisation supporting the Green Connection, Natural Justice said “we cannot stand idly by, as government and policy makers disempower the people and communities who stand to be directly impacted by potential negative ecological consequences of the proposed exploratory drilling. Our objective remains the conservation and protection of our coastal resources, safeguarding of the livelihoods of coastal communities and the promotion of meaningful public participation.”
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