A South African court has halted oil giant Shell's seismic testing for oil and gas along the country's eastern coastline, pending a final ruling.
Shell says it had paused operations while it reviewed the judgement.
South Africa's Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe had condemned the project's critics, saying they wanted to deprive Africa of energy resources.
High Court Judge Gerald Bloem says that Shell's right to explore the waters near the Wild Coast was awarded on the basis of a substantially flawed consultation process.