The Struggle To Protect SA’s Oceans and Coastal Livelihoods Continues In The Western Cape High Court
Today (Monday 7 February), small-scale fishers from the West Coast – joined by The Green Connection – head to the Western Cape High Court, in a bid to stop the seismic blasting which likely commenced in the region in January 2022, in search for oil and gas reserves. The third court action of its kind in less than two months, the latest urgent interdict was initiated by small-scale fisher communities from Saldanha, Langebaan, Lamberts Bay, Port Nolloth and St. Helena Bay on the West Coast. Similar to the case brought against the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy in December by communities on the Wild Coast, small-scale fishers on the West Coast urgently require Searcher GeoData UK to halt its seismic blasting, for fear that it will harm the marine ecosystem, along with the livelihoods of those who depend on it. According to the legal team, the fishers have told the court that Searcher’s operation is unlawful since it did not seek an environmental authorisation in terms of South Africa’s environmental legislation, which it is legally required to do. Searcher also did not consult with any small-scale fishing communities along the West Coast, despite the impact that the survey will have on snoek and other line fish species, the mainstay of West Coast fishing communities. According to The Green Connection’s Community Outreach Coordinator Neville van Rooy, “Our government cannot ignore the overwhelming outcry from so many under-threat fishing communities, especially along the coastline, who now must consistently rely on the judicial system to protect them from harmful, unjust State decisions. The time has come for this government to smell the snoek and to make better choices regarding the country’s economic development. It cannot be that our government is willing to flush tens of thousands of small-scale fisher livelihoods down the drain and claim that this is for the good of the people.”


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