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Amadiba Crisis Committee 2026-08-16:
SHELL PETROLEUM DEFEATED AGAIN IN COURT
(ISITATIMENDE ESIBHALWE NGESI NGUNI SINGEZANTSI !)
On 14 August, the Netherland company Shell Petroleum and its business partner Impact Africa suffered a serious defeat in the Constitutional Court.
The court found that the 2014 application for blasting with air guns for oil and gas in the ocean on the Wild Coast was seriously and fundamentally flawed.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT RULED:
* To set aside Shell Petroleum’s and Impact Africa’s right to explore for oil and gas in the ocean of the Wild Coast. Shell and Impact cannot repair their old application. It was unlawful.
* That If the companies want to try again, they must submit a new application. The decision about it is also back to square one: It must consider changes in the law since 2014 and the factual situation today.
* That the failure to consult with communities cannot be repaired afterwards. Consultation is not merely about giving people an opportunity to express their views. Communities must be part of decisions. The process itself must respect and affirm human dignity.
* Large financial investments can never be an argument that outweighs the rights and interests of the affected communities.
AN IMPORTANT VICTORY
Says Nonhle Mbuthuma: “The winner here is Mother Earth. And if Mother Earth wins, then we all win, not just we as communities in Amadiba, Dwesa-Cwebe and Port St John on the Wild Coast”.
The ConCourt put forward the principle of meaningful consultation, that respects human dignity and the rights of affected communities.
This could have implications far beyond this Shell Petroleum case.
“These principles are connected to ACC’s long-standing struggle for what we call People’s Development.”
“The so-called ‘public consultations’ have become tick boxing.”
“Indigenous communities must have decision making powers over projects affecting our land, ocean and livelihoods. Development shall not be imposed on people. It shall come from below.”
“We have seen in Nigeria what oil extraction in the ocean and land looks like: Destroyed ecology, destroyed livelihoods, destroyed water. Large areas have been polluted by oil spills. It is irreversible.”
SHELL’S OLD APPLICATION
In 2014, Impact Africa got an exploration right for oil and gas off the Wild Coast. Shell joined in 2021. In October 2021 they started to blast with airguns in the ocean. In December 2021 they were interdicted.
The Makhanda High Court ruled in 2022 that the exploration right was unlawful. In 2024, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) agreed that there had been serious flaws in the application.
But SCA still allowed the exploration right to remain in place and only ordered a renewal process. That part of the SCA ruling was taken to the Constitutional Court by three Wild Coast communities, and by the organisations Sustaining the Wild Coast, Natural Justice and GreenPeace.
THE IMPORTANCE OF COURTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
“Communities must time and again go to Court to protect our rights.”
“The government does not any longer promote development in line with the Constitution. They must stop acting as a government for the corporations.”
Corporate bullies sitting in the government, especially in the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), need to read the judgement.
QUOTES FROM THE JUDGEMENT
“In areas such as Xolobeni, communities have for many years resisted proposed mining activities in order to preserve their environment, livelihoods and cultural practices.
“Similarly, in the Dwesa-Cwebe region, our courts have recognised that access to marine resources is not merely an economic concern but is intimately bound to customary practices and cultural identity.”
“Their resistance to extractive activities and battles to be recognised have not been without cost. It has, at times, been marked by threats to the safety and security of those involved.”
“These histories reflect that environmental governance in coastal areas is often marked by deep contestation, in which the protection of ecological systems is inseparable from the protection of the rights to dignity, culture and livelihood.”
“Consultation is not merely about the opportunity to express a view or influence an outcome. On a more fundamental level, regardless of whether input has any effect, it is a process which affirms human dignity by affording a seat at the table to those whose lives are impacted by decisions. It affirms the agency of affected communities and their status as participants rather than obstacles in decisions that profoundly affect their land, culture and livelihoods.”
AMADIBA CRISIS COMMITTEE
Amadiba Crisis Committee 16 Agasti 2026:
I-SHELL PETROLEUM IPHINDE YOYISWA ENKUNDLENI
Ngomhla we-14 kuAgasti, inkampani yaseNetherlands uShell Petroleum kunye neqabane layo lezoshishino u-Impact Africa bafumene isigwebo esibi kakhulu kwiNkundla yoMgaqo-siseko.
Inkundla yafumanisa ukuba isicelo sango-2014 sokusebenzisa izixhobo ezikhupha amandla omoya (air guns) ukuze kukhangelwe ioyile negesi elwandle kwiWild Coast, sasinemiphene emikhulu nesisiseko esingalunganga.
INKUNDLA YOMGAQO-SISEKO ITHATHE ESI SIGQIBO:
* Ukurhoxisa ilungelo lika Shell Petroleum no Impact Africa lokukhangela ioyile negesi elwandle kwiWild Coast. uShell no-Impact abanakulungisa isicelo sabo sakudala sasingekho mthethweni.
* Ukuba ezi nkampani zifuna ukuzama kwakhona, kufuneka zingenise isicelo esitsha. Inkqubo yesigqibo ngaso nayo ibuyela ekuqaleni: Kufuneka kuthathelwe ingqalelo utshintsho olwenzeke emthethweni ukususela ngo-2014 kunye nemeko yokwenyani yangoku.
* Ukuba ukungabonisani noluntu akunakulungiswa kamva.
Ukubonisana akupheleli nje ekunikeni abantu ithuba lokuvakalisa izimvo zabo. Uluntu kufuneka lube yinxalenye yezigqibo. Inkqubo ngokwayo kufuneka ihloniphe kwaye iqinisekise isidima somntu.
* Utyalo-mali olukhulu lwemali alunakuba sisizathu esibaluleke ngaphezu kwamalungelo nemidla yoluntu oluchaphazelekayo.
ULOYISO OLUBALULEKILEYO
UTsho uNonhle Mbuthuma: “Oyena uphumeleleyo apha nguMama uMhlaba. Kwaye ukuba uMama uMhlaba uyaphumelela, nathi sonke siyaphumelela—hayi nje thina njengoluntu lwaseMadiba, eDwesa-Cwebe nasePort St Johns kwiWild Coast.”
INkundla yoMgaqo-siseko (ConCourt) igxininise umgaqo wokubonisana okuneentsingiselo, okuhlonipha isidima somntu kunye namalungelo oluntu oluchaphazelekayo. Oku kungaba neziphumo ezidlulela kude ngaphaya kweli tyala lika Shell Petroleum.
“Le migaqo inxulumene nomzabalazo wexesha elide we-ACC wento esiyibiza ngokuba luPhuhliso lwabantu.” “Ezo zibizwa ngokuba ‘kukubonisana noluntu’ ziphelele nje ekutshintsheni ibhokisi (njengento eyenziwa nje ukuze kuthiwe yenziwe).”
“Uluntu lwemveli kufuneka lube namandla okwenza izigqibo ngeeprojekthi ezichaphazela umhlaba wethu, ulwandle kunye neendlela zethu zokuphila. Uphuhliso akufuneki lunyanzeliswe ebantwini. Kufuneka luvele kubantu ngokwabo.”
“Siyibonile eNigeria indlela ekubonakala ngayo ukukhutshwa kwe-oyile elwandle nasemhlabeni: kukutshatyalaliswa kwendalo, iindlela zokuphila kunye namanzi. Imimandla emikhulu ingcoliswe kukuchitheka kwe-oyile. Yinto engenakuguqulwa.”
ISICELO SAKUDALA SAKWA-SHELL
Ngo-2014, inkampani u-Impact Africa wafumana ilungelo lokukhangela ioyile negesi elwandle kufuphi ne-Wild Coast, waza uShell yajoyina ngo-2021. Ngo-Okthobha ka-2021 baqalisa ukusebenzisa izixhobo ezikhupha amaza anamandla omoya (airguns) elwandle. NgoDisemba ka-2021 bayamiswa ngomyalelo wenkundla.
Ngo-2022, iNkundla ePhakamileyo yaseMakhanda yagweba ukuba elo lungelo lokukhangela yayingekho mthethweni. Ngo-2024, iNkundla ePhakamileyo yezibheno (SCA) yavuma ukuba kwakukho iimpazamo ezinkulu kwisicelo eso.
Noko ke, i-SCA yavumela ukuba ilungelo lokukhangela liqhubeke likho, yaza yayalela kuphela ukuba kuqalwe inkqubo yokuhlaziywa kwalo. Lo mba wesigqibo se-SCA waziswa kwiNkundla yoMgaqo-siseko ngamaqela amathathu oluntu lwase-Wild Coast, kunye nemibutho i-Sustaining the Wild Coast, i-Natural Justice kunye ne-GreenPeace.
UKUBALULEKA KWEENKUNDLA EMZANTSI AFRIKA
“Uluntu kufuneka luqhubeke lusiya enkundleni ukukhusela amalungelo ethu.”
“Urhulumente akasayikhuthazi inkqubela-phambili ehambelana noMgaqo-siseko. Kufuneka bayeke ukusebenza njengorhulumente osebenzela iinkampani ezinkulu.”
Abantu abakwizikhundla zikarhulumente abasebenzisa amandla abo ukuxhaphaza abanye ngenxa yeenkampani, ngakumbi kwiSebe leMithombo yezimbiwa naMandla (DMRE), kufuneka basifunde esi sigqibo senkundla.
AMAGQABAZA ATHATHWE KWISIGQIBO SENKUNDLA
“Kwimimandla efana ne-Xolobeni, uluntu luye lwachasa imisebenzi yezimbiwa ecetywayo kangangeminyaka emininzi ukuze lukhusele indalo yalo, indlela yalo yokuphila kunye namasiko alo.”
“Ngokufanayo, kwingingqi yase-Dwesa-Cwebe, iinkundla zethu ziye zaqaphela ukuba ukufikelela kwimithombo yaselwandle akuyongxaki yezoqoqosho kuphela, kodwa kunxulumene ngokusondeleyo namasiko kunye nesazisi senkcubeko.”
“Ukuchasa kwabo imisebenzi yokutsalwa kwemithombo yendalo kunye nemizabalazo yokwamkelwa kwabo bekungelula; bekukho amaxesha apho bekukho izoyikiso zokhuseleko lwabo babandakanyekayo.”
“Le mbali ibonisa ukuba ulawulo lwendalo kwimimandla yaselunxwemeni ludla ngokuba nempixano enkulu, apho ukukhuselwa kweenkqubo zendalo kungahlukaniseki nokukhuselwa kwamalungelo esidima, inkcubeko kunye nendlela yokuphila.”
“Ukubonisana akupheleli nje ekunikezeleni ithuba lokuvakalisa uluvo okanye ukuphembelela isiphumo. Kwizinga elisisiseko (…) yinkqubo eqinisekisa isidima somntu ngokubandakanya abo bachaphazelekayo kwizigqibo ezenziwayo. Iqinisekisa indima ebalulekileyo yoluntu oluchaphazelekayo kunye nokuba ngabathathi-nxaxheba—kungekhona nje imiqobo—kwizigqibo ezichaphazela kakhulu umhlaba walo, inkcubeko kunye nendlela yalo yokuphila.”
AMADIBA CRISIS COMMITTEE
