Indigenous People Take Stand Against Big Oil on South Africa's Coast
- The Indigenous communities along the coast have a long-standing relationship with the ocean, practicing traditional fishing and shellfish harvesting.
- A Marine Protected Area was established in 2000, which restricted the communities' access to their vital marine resources and prompted a land restitution claim.
- Ongoing legal battles against Shell's exploration efforts highlight the tensions between Indigenous rights and corporate interests in the Southern African context.
In South Africa's Eastern Cape province, Indigenous communities are standing against oil exploration that threatens their ancestral waters. The Dwesa-Cwebe communities have deep-rooted ties to the ocean and have historically harvested marine resources. However, the establishment of the Dwesa-Cwebe Marine Protected Area in 2000 prohibited these activities, leading the communities to file a land restitution claim. This legal struggle intensified with an exploration permit granted to Shell and Impact, which was ultimately deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court of Appeal, although the companies continue to pursue further appeals. Advocates from the Legal Resources Centre express hope that the Constitutional Court will consider customary rights, potentially forcing Shell to restart their application process. The outcome of these legal battles is seen as pivotal by community leaders like Gwede Mantashe, as it touches on the intersection of environmental issues, ancestral rights, and corporate interests in the context of the ongoing fight against fossil fuel extraction.