GRIEVANCES ABOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) issued this formal response on 16 August 2018 to a memorandum of grievances from The Voice Community Representative Council regarding legal challenges against a proposed coal mine by Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd. CER clarifies its role as a non-profit law clinic representing eight civil society organisations, denies representing local farmers or specific agencies, and outlines the environmental and socio-economic risks associated with the proposed mine in a protected area.

• The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is a non-profit organisation and law clinic based in Cape Town and Johannesburg that provides legal advocacy and litigation for environmental justice in South Africa.
• In the legal challenge against the proposed Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd coal mine (the Mabola case), CER represents a coalition of eight non-profit organisations: Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, the Mining & Environmental Justice Community Network of SA, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, BirdLife South Africa, the Federation for a Sustainable Environment, the Bench Marks Foundation, the Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD), and groundWork.
• CER explicitly denies representing any local communities in the Volksrust area, farmers, landowners, WWF-SA, or the Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency in the Mabola case.
• The coalition opposes the proposed mine because it is located within a declared protected area and a Strategic Water Source Area, which CER claims would threaten regional water security. CER notes that only 15% of the coalfield Atha seeks to mine is within a Strategic Water Source Area, suggesting the company could have applied for rights in less sensitive areas.
• CER disputes the economic benefits promised by Atha-Africa Ventures, noting that Atha's own reports suggest the majority of labour would come from outside the Area of Direct Influence due to a lack of local skills. CER further states that Atha has provided no financial commitment for the necessary skills development to up-skill local people.
• The document criticises Atha's Social and Labour Plan (SLP) as limited, costing approximately R1.5 million per year against projected revenues of at least R1 billion over the first 10 years. CER also highlights a significant funding gap for water treatment, stating that while Atha provided a financial guarantee of R5.758 million for closure costs, treating polluted water could cost approximately R200 million.
• CER identifies Atha as a subsidiary of the India-registered Atha Group, with directors Gaurav Atha, Vishal Atha, and Morgambary Munsamy, suggesting that profits would likely be extracted from South Africa. The BEE partner is the Bashubile Trust, whose trustees (Prince Thabo Mpofu, Vincent Gezinhliziyo Zuma, and Sizwe Christopher Zuma) CER claims do not live in or near the affected areas of Wakkerstroom, Dirkiesdorp, or Volksrust.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). GRIEVANCES ABOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Reply-to-The-Voice-Memorandum-of-Grievances-16.8.2018.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. GRIEVANCES ABOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS. 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Reply-to-The-Voice-Memorandum-of-Grievances-16.8.2018.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=GRIEVANCES ABOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS |date=16 August 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Reply-to-The-Voice-Memorandum-of-Grievances-16.8.2018.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2018grievances, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{GRIEVANCES ABOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Reply-to-The-Voice-Memorandum-of-Grievances-16.8.2018.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }