“We Know Our Lives Are in Danger”

The report documents a systemic 'environment of fear' in South Africa's mining regions, where activists facing environmental and social harms from mining are targeted with physical violence, death threats, and legal harassment. It highlights the failure of the South African government to protect these defenders and the role of municipalities in imposing extra-legal restrictions on peaceful assembly. The document also details the use of SLAPP suits and social media attacks by mining companies to silence opposition, while noting the severe environmental and health costs of mining, including water pollution and respiratory diseases.

• Community activists in mining-affected areas face severe violence, including death threats and killings, often with inadequate police investigation. A notable case is the March 2016 killing of Sikhosiphi Bazooka Rhadebe, chairperson of the Amadiba Crisis Committee in Xolobeni, for whom police had not identified suspects more than three years later.
• Local municipalities frequently impose extra-legal requirements on protest organizers that have no basis in the Regulation of Gatherings Act (RGA), effectively treating the notification process as a 'permission-seeking exercise'. These include requiring documentation of prior engagement with mining companies or the consent of traditional leaders.
• South African police and private security forces have used excessive force, including teargas and rubber bullets, to suppress peaceful protests in mining areas. In July 2017, a protester named Tinas M. was killed during interactions near the Sefateng Mine.
• Mining companies employ 'strategic litigation against public participation' (SLAPP suits) and social media campaigns to intimidate and silence critics. For example, Mineral Sand Resources (MSR) and Mineral Commodities Limited (MCL) filed defamation suits against eight activists and lawyers, demanding a total of R9,850,000.
• Mining activities in South Africa cause significant environmental and health damage, including the pollution of the Olifants River with toxic levels of antimony, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and uranium. Air pollution from mining haul roads contributes 49 percent of PM10 in the Mpumalanga Highveld area.
• Traditional authorities sometimes unlawfully negotiate and consent to mining on behalf of communities without consultation, and may suppress opposition by banning activists from community meetings or labeling them as 'anti-development'.
• Women activists are particularly vulnerable to harassment and threats, often because they are the first to experience the harms of mining and serve as primary caregivers for their families.
• The South African government fails to enforce environmental standards and lacks transparency in mining governance. The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) often fails to hold companies accountable for unlawful activities.

APA

Earthjustice (n.d.). “We Know Our Lives Are in Danger”. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/we-know-our-lives-are-in-danger_south-africa-report.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. “We Know Our Lives Are in Danger”. n.d. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/we-know-our-lives-are-in-danger_south-africa-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=“We Know Our Lives Are in Danger” |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/we-know-our-lives-are-in-danger_south-africa-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjusticendknow, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{“We Know Our Lives Are in Danger”}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/we-know-our-lives-are-in-danger_south-africa-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }