BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS: COMMUNITY REDRESS STRATEGIES AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF EXTRACTIVES AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: 2008–2018

The report assesses how communities in South Africa have used litigation, protest, and media coverage to combat the impacts of coal and platinum mining. It identifies significant failures in the regulatory governance of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), noting a 'compliance and enforcement deficit' caused by legislative loopholes and conflicts of interest. While litigation is the most frequent strategy, the report argues that a multi-pronged approach combining legal action with community mobilisation is most effective. It highlights severe impacts including water pollution, displacement, and health crises like silicosis and black lung disease.

• The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) have failed to prioritise environmental authorities and affected communities in enforcement processes, which is exacerbated by a lack of procedural rights for meaningful participation and consent.
• Legislative gaps in the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) create uncertainty and weaken environmental management, specifically regarding the lack of clear requirements for the form of community consultation and the absence of a right to consent to mining activities.
• The DMR faces a conflict of interest because it is tasked with both promoting mineral development and enforcing environmental laws, leading to a compliance and enforcement deficit.
• Mining operations have caused severe environmental and health impacts, most notably water pollution, community displacement, and respiratory diseases such as silicosis and pneumoconiosis (black lung).
• Litigation, protest action, and media coverage are the most frequently used redress strategies, but litigation is often a culmination of other efforts rather than a first resort.
• A multi-pronged approach combining multiple strategies is more effective than using a single method, as demonstrated by the Xolobeni community's victory after 15 years of using six different strategies.
• Attempts to engage international finance institutions (IFIs) to remedy harms are rare and often ineffective due to the high level of expertise and financial resources required to maintain such engagements.
• Mining companies often undermine meaningful consultation by using a 'tick-box' approach, providing information in inaccessible languages, or exclusively engaging with traditional leaders who may receive 'kickbacks'.
• There is a significant lack of transparency and accountability in the mining sector, with the DMR often refusing requests for information under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA).

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS: COMMUNITY REDRESS STRATEGIES AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF EXTRACTIVES AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: 2008–2018. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-Blood-Sweat-and-Tears-Extractives-Research-Report-Natural-Justice.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS: COMMUNITY REDRESS STRATEGIES AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF EXTRACTIVES AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: 2008–2018. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-Blood-Sweat-and-Tears-Extractives-Research-Report-Natural-Justice.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS: COMMUNITY REDRESS STRATEGIES AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF EXTRACTIVES AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: 2008–2018 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-Blood-Sweat-and-Tears-Extractives-Research-Report-Natural-Justice.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendblood, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS: COMMUNITY REDRESS STRATEGIES AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF EXTRACTIVES AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: 2008–2018}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-Blood-Sweat-and-Tears-Extractives-Research-Report-Natural-Justice.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }