South Africa's Constitutional Court has blocked energy giant Shell from renewing its offshore oil and gas exploration rights along the Wild Coast. The landmark ruling ends a multi-year legal battle led by local fishing communities and environmental groups over flawed public consultation processes and marine protection. In a majority decision, the country's highest court overturned a 2024 judgment by the Supreme Court of Appeal. That earlier ruling had given Shell and its partner, Impact Africa, a potential lifeline to conduct seismic surveys under an exploration right initially granted in 2014. Wild Coast community representatives have welcomed the verdict as a decisive victory against both the oil companies and the Department of Mineral Resources. Jon Gericke spoke to Professor of Sociology and Political Economist Professor Patrick Bond from the University of Johannesburg