TEEPSA ONTTREK

The Green Connection (TGC) and Natural Justice (NJ) are seeking a judicial review in the Western Cape High Court to set aside the environmental authorisation granted to TotalEnergies EP South Africa Block 567 (Total) for exploration drilling between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas. The legal challenge is based on six grounds, including the failure to assess socio-economic impacts on small-scale fisheries, the omission of climate change impacts from gas combustion, and the lack of consideration for transboundary effects on Namibia. In July 2024, Total announced its decision to withdraw from Block 567, where it held a 40% commercial interest. Following this, Total applied to the court to join Shell as a party to the proceedings, a move opposed by TGC and NJ on the grounds that the case concerns the environmental authorisation granted to Total, not the exploration right itself.

• The Green Connection and Natural Justice argue that the environmental authorisation for Block 567 should be set aside because the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) failed to properly assess the socio-economic impact of a potential blowout and oil spill on local communities and small-scale fisheries.
• The legal challenge asserts that decision-makers failed to consider the climate change impacts resulting from the combustion of any gas discovered during the project, which is described as a legally impermissible failure.
• The applicants contend that the project's potential transboundary impacts on Namibian waters and the Namibian coastline were ignored, despite requirements under NEMA and international law.
• The judicial review claims that the process was procedurally unfair because the Blowout Contingency Plan (BOCP) and Oil Spill Contingency Plan (OSCP) were not included in the EIA report or subjected to public participation.
• In July 2024, TotalEnergies announced its withdrawal from offshore Block 567, where it held a 40% commercial interest, leading to a request by Total to join Shell as a party to the ongoing court case.

APA

Natural Justice (2024). TEEPSA ONTTREK. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Afrikaans-Fact-Sheet-_Block-567.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. TEEPSA ONTTREK. 2024. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Afrikaans-Fact-Sheet-_Block-567.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=TEEPSA ONTTREK |date=29 July 2024 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Afrikaans-Fact-Sheet-_Block-567.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2024teepsa, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{TEEPSA ONTTREK}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Afrikaans-Fact-Sheet-_Block-567.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }