Microsoft Word - Request for Investigation from ActionAid South Africa re Women in Mpumalanga Region

The document argues that coal mining in Mpumalanga, South Africa, disproportionately harms women and girls by polluting water and air, destroying arable land, and increasing poverty, which in turn leads to higher rates of sexual exploitation and health crises.

• As of December 2016, 60% of the land in the Mpumalanga province was either being mined or was under exploration, severely impacting communities reliant on subsistence farming.
• Coal mining has caused severe water insecurity and pollution in Mpumalanga. Acid mine drainage and heavy metals make water toxic and non-potable, causing health issues like rashes and eye irritation. In the town of Carolina, residents lacked access to clean water for over a year starting in January 2015.
• Mining activities undermine the right to food by encroaching on farming and grazing land, sterilizing soil through acid water drainage, and contaminating crops and livestock with coal dust and air pollution.
• Air pollution from coal mining and the burning of 'duff coal' (coal waste) leads to respiratory illnesses such as asthma. Women and girls are particularly exposed because they are primarily responsible for cooking with these fuels in confined spaces.
• Environmental degradation and poverty have forced women and girls into hazardous economic activities, including artisanal mining involving toxic chemicals and sex work. This has contributed to Mpumalanga having the second highest rate of HIV for women aged 15-49 and an increase in unplanned teenage pregnancies.
• The South African government is accused of violating its own Constitution and international agreements, such as CEDAW and the Maputo Protocol, by failing to enforce the 'polluter pays principle' and allowing mining companies to violate human rights without providing effective remedy.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2017). Microsoft Word - Request for Investigation from ActionAid South Africa re Women in Mpumalanga Region. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Request-for-Investigation-from-ActionAid-South-Africa.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Microsoft Word - Request for Investigation from ActionAid South Africa re Women in Mpumalanga Region. 2017. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Request-for-Investigation-from-ActionAid-South-Africa.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Microsoft Word - Request for Investigation from ActionAid South Africa re Women in Mpumalanga Region |date=26 October 2017 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Request-for-Investigation-from-ActionAid-South-Africa.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2017microsoft, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Microsoft Word - Request for Investigation from ActionAid South Africa re Women in Mpumalanga Region}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Request-for-Investigation-from-ActionAid-South-Africa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }