• South Africa pushes faster oil, gas exploration despite legal challenges
• Environmental groups’ court actions delay projects by Shell, TotalEnergies
• Government advances new regulations, state company, and offshore drilling plans

South Africa’s government is pressing ahead with plans to accelerate oil and gas exploration, with Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe reaffirming this stance, according to African Insider.

Speaking at the Southern Africa Oil and Gas Conference in Cape Town on March 16-17, Mantashe said the country needed to speed up exploration, adding that legal challenges from environmental groups were slowing the sector’s development.

“The main problem today is our environmentalists who take us to court. We have potential to exploit oil, we have potential to exploit gas, but for every oil and gas project, we end up in court,” he said.

Since 2022, Ecofin Agency has reported that projects involving international companies have faced setbacks. Exploration activities by Shell and TotalEnergies were suspended following court rulings linked to environmental challenges.

Opponents of the projects cite risks to marine ecosystems and local livelihoods. They have also questioned the adequacy of environmental impact assessments and community consultation processes.

The government points to the country’s largely untapped hydrocarbon potential as a driver of economic growth, highlighting prospects in the offshore Orange and Outeniqua basins.

Interest in these areas has increased following discoveries in neighboring Namibia, with geological surveys suggesting that some formations may extend into South African waters.

“It is about finding a balance between ecology and economy, integrating them together. You do not stop development by claiming to protect ecology. You are not protecting ecology, you are hindering it by blocking development,” Mantashe said.

A regulatory framework to support exploration

South African authorities have repeatedly stated their ambition to support hydrocarbon exploration, particularly offshore, including at the 2025 edition of the conference. Since then, several steps have been taken.

Draft implementing regulations for the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act (UPRDA), released in April 2025, are currently under consultation and are expected to be enacted in 2026. The framework aims to establish a regulatory regime specific to exploration and production, separate from mining law, to attract investment.

Separately, the South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC) was launched in May 2025. Formed through the merger of PetroSA, iGas and the Strategic Fuel Fund, the state entity is intended to play a central role in developing the sector.

Some projects are moving forward. PetroSA approved Shell’s entry as a 60% majority partner in offshore block 2C in the Orange Basin, according to Reuters (December 2025). TotalEnergies plans to drill its first well in the same area starting in 2026.

Authorities are also advancing efforts on unconventional resources. Following a 2D seismic survey in the Karoo Basin completed in February 2026, the government is considering lifting a moratorium on shale gas exploration that has been in place for more than a decade, according to Business Report (early March).

The environment ministry has also said it wants to speed up the processing of appeals related to offshore permits, which continue to delay several projects.

Abdel-Latif Boureima