Government defends West Coast offshore drilling in legal showdown

Government lawyers said proposed offshore oil and gas exploration off the West Coast would bring safeguards and potential benefits for small-scale fishing communities.

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources granted TotalEnergies environmental authorisation for ultra-deep-water drilling in the Deep Western Orange Basin, from Saldanha Bay to the Namibian border, in October 2023.

An internal appeal by environmentalists to halt the authorisation was dismissed by the government in April 2024, prompting them to approach the Western Cape High Court to set aside both decisions.

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The case was brought by the Aukotowa Fisheries Co-operative, The Green Connection, and Natural Justice against the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

Lawyers for the applicants on Monday argued the department's approval was flawed and that offshore drilling threatened marine ecosystems while impacting the livelihoods of small-scale fishers along the coast.

However, the department argued that normal exploration activities would have a low impact on fishers.

Generational Port Nolloth fisher and Aukotowa founder Walter Steenkamp said small-scale fishers wanted to be included in the development.

"We are not against development, but we have a bottom-up approach to development. We have a lot of natural resources," Steenkamp said.

Final arguments on the matter will be heard in court on Tuesday.