OPEN LETTER FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS TO PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ON THE SOUTH AFRICA INVESTMENT CONFERENCE, 5 – 7 NOVEMBER 2019

Environmental activists have written an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of the South Africa Investment Conference (5-7 November 2019), arguing that economic growth must not come at the expense of constitutional environmental rights. The authors express concern that the government may weaken water use licence conditions to attract investment, which they argue would be irresponsible given the existing water crisis in Gauteng and the failure of the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation to enforce regulations in the coal mining sector of Mpumalanga. They specifically oppose further investment in fossil fuels and coal infrastructure, citing the rapid price drop of renewable energy and South Africa's vulnerability as a climate change hot spot.

• The authors argue that investments in fossil fuels, coal mining, and coal infrastructure negatively impact water resources and offer little benefit, including jobs, to host communities, who are often worse off due to extractive industries.
• There is significant concern regarding reports that the Presidential Working Committee on the Jobs Summit intended to make water use licence conditions less costly and onerous for businesses to accelerate issuance timelines.
• The Centre for Environmental Rights reported that coal mining companies in Mpumalanga have failed to comply with water use licence conditions, leading to massive pollution of the Upper Olifants Catchment, while the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation failed to monitor or enforce these conditions.
• The activists assert that investments in coal mining and coal infrastructure are economically and environmentally irrational due to the rapid price decline of renewable energy technologies and South Africa's status as a climate change hot spot.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2019). OPEN LETTER FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS TO PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ON THE SOUTH AFRICA INVESTMENT CONFERENCE, 5 – 7 NOVEMBER 2019. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Open-Letter-to-President-Ramaphosa-4-November-2019-002.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. OPEN LETTER FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS TO PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ON THE SOUTH AFRICA INVESTMENT CONFERENCE, 5 – 7 NOVEMBER 2019. 2019. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Open-Letter-to-President-Ramaphosa-4-November-2019-002.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=OPEN LETTER FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS TO PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ON THE SOUTH AFRICA INVESTMENT CONFERENCE, 5 – 7 NOVEMBER 2019 |date=4 November 2019 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Open-Letter-to-President-Ramaphosa-4-November-2019-002.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2019open, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{OPEN LETTER FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS TO PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ON THE SOUTH AFRICA INVESTMENT CONFERENCE, 5 – 7 NOVEMBER 2019}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Open-Letter-to-President-Ramaphosa-4-November-2019-002.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }