THE JOINDER APPLICATION

The Green Connection (TGC) and Natural Justice (NJ) have filed for judicial review in the Western Cape High Court to overturn the environmental authorisation granted to Total Energies EP South Africa Block 567 (Pty) Ltd for offshore drilling. The challenge is based on six grounds, including failures to assess socio-economic impacts on small-scale fishers, climate change impacts from gas burning, and transboundary risks to Namibia. Following Total's July 2024 announcement of its withdrawal from block 567, the company filed a joinder application to include Shell as a party in the case, which TGC and NJ oppose on the grounds that the exploration right has lapsed and the challenge concerns the authorisation granted to Total, not the exploration right itself.

• TGC and NJ are challenging the environmental authorisation for oil and gas exploration in block 567 based on six primary review grounds: failure to assess socio-economic impacts of oil spills on small-scale fishers, failure to consider factors under the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act (ICMA), failure to consider climate change impacts from burning discovered gas, failure to assess transboundary impacts on Namibia and international waters, the exclusion of contingency plans from the EIA Report, and the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) acting outside its mandate during the appeal process.
• Total Energies announced its decision to withdraw from offshore exploration block 567 in July 2024, where it previously held a 40% interest.
• Total has filed a joinder application to include Shell in the court case, arguing Shell is a joint holder of the exploration right and current Operator of the Joint Venture. TGC and NJ oppose this, arguing the exploration right has lapsed, the challenge is about the environmental authorisation granted to Total, and the application contradicts Total's own previous pleadings and the EIA Report.

APA

Natural Justice (2024). THE JOINDER APPLICATION. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fact-Sheet-_Block-567-Final.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. THE JOINDER APPLICATION. 2024. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fact-Sheet-_Block-567-Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

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

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2024joinder, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{THE JOINDER APPLICATION}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fact-Sheet-_Block-567-Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }