Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI), the BEE investor led by former trade unionist Johnny Copelyn, has dismissed criticism of seismic surveys of SA’s coastline, a project in which it holds a significant financial interest, as unfounded hype.

Opposition to the project is part of an international campaign to block oil and gas exploration in SA, the company said in a lengthy open letter on Monday, in comments that are not dissimilar to those of mineral resources & energy minister Gwede Mantashe. The minister previously painted critics of Shell’s blasting along the Wild Coast as aligned to forces opposed to SA’s development...