Wild Coast communities take fight against Shell to ConCourt

By Johnathan Paoli

Communities from South Africa’s Wild Coast will square off against Shell, Impact Africa, and the Mineral Resources and Energy department in the Constitutional Court this week, in what activists have described as a “historic showdown” over environmental and socio-economic justice. 

According to the ‘Right to Say No’ campaign, which has been mobilising communities across the country, the case is not just about seismic blasting, but also development choices for the entire nation. 

“For the first time in history, fishing communities are taking their fight all the way to the Constitutional Court. They are standing up to defend their constitutional right to be heard, especially when their customary rights are threatened, while advancing their socio-economic rights linked to the use of natural resources, as well as their environmental and cultural rights guaranteed by the Constitution and related legislation,” the campaigners said in a joint statement. 

The case, Wild