South Africa blocks Shell Wild Coast exploration

On 14 August 2026, South Africa's Constitutional Court permanently blocked Shell plc and Impact Africa from conducting oil and gas exploration off the Wild Coast. The court overturned a 2024 Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that had allowed the project to proceed pending further consultation, and reinstated the 2022 South Africa — Eastern Cape High Court decision that the exploration right granted in 2014 was unlawful due to inadequate community consultation. The court held that belated consultation could not cure the constitutional violation, emphasizing the rights to dignity, culture, and livelihood of coastal communities. It also cited the International — International Criminal Court's 2025 advisory opinion on climate change, marking the first binding African court judgment to do so. The ruling sets aside the exploration right and its renewals, and prevents Shell from circumventing a government moratorium on new coastal exploration. Shell and Impact Africa had invested about R1.1 billion ($58 million) in the project. The decision is expected to influence future oil and gas cases in South Africa and dampen investor appetite for offshore exploration in the region.