Today, the organisations announce their against the decision to grant TotalEnergies EP South Africa environmental authorisation for exploratory drilling in block 5/6/7, located off the coast between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas .
According to Melissa Groenink, Programme Manager at Natural Justice,"Our legal challenge is grounded in principles of good governance and environmental protection. We believe that, in order to promote and ensure a healthy democracy, the decision-making process must adhere to our country's legal frameworks, in this instance, the National Environmental Management Act and the ICMA.
The Green Connection's Community Outreach Coordinator, Neville van Rooy says,"At its core, this legal challenge is simply about good governance and protecting the environment we depend on. Consider that small-scale fishers have already seen some concerning changes to available fish stocks or think about the devastating floods that have ravaged parts of the country. We believe that these are the results of global short-term thinking and poor decisions.