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20,303 documents added on 17 August 2026
APPLICATION FOR SUSPENSION IN TERMS OF SECTION 96(2) OF THE MINERAL AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT, 2002 (“MPRDA”)
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has applied for the suspension of a decision by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy to grant extended mining rights to Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd and Tormin Mineral Sands (Pty) Ltd at the Tormin mine. The CER argues that the expansion occurs within Critical Biodiversity Areas and that the environmental impacts are irreversible and inadequately assessed.
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Document type: Statement
National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Bill, 2017 Table of comments by the Centre for Environmental Rights
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) provides a detailed table of comments and proposed amendments to the National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Bill, 2017. The document focuses on strengthening environmental compliance, improving financial provisioning for rehabilitation, and ensuring public participation in administrative processes across several South African environmental acts, including NEMA, NEMPAA, NEMBA, NEMAQA, NEMICMA, and NEMWA.
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Document type: Report
The Looming Threat of Bulk Marine Sediment Mining
This fact sheet by the Centre for Environmental Rights warns against the development of a bulk marine sediment mining industry in South Africa, specifically targeting marine phosphates. It argues that the technology used is destructive, the environmental impacts are irreversible, and the justification based on food security is without merit.
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Document type: Fact sheet
FACT SHEET 2 Marine phosphate mining would have severe and irreversible impacts on marine ecosystems and fishery resources and associated jobs, livelihood and food security benefits sustained by our fishing industry. South African context Marine phosphate mining
This fact sheet by the Centre for Environmental Rights details the environmental and socio-economic risks associated with marine phosphate mining in South Africa. It focuses on three prospecting rights granted to Green Flash Trading 251, Green Flash Trading 257, and Diamond Fields International, arguing that such activities would cause irreversible damage to marine ecosystems, threaten the fishing industry, and occur within a deficient legal and governance framework.
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Document type: Fact sheet
DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DEPEND ON WATER
This guide by the Centre for Environmental Rights outlines the critical importance of South Africa's 22 water source areas (WSAs), which provide 50% of the country's surface run-off despite covering only 8% of the land. The document details the threats facing these areas—including mining, agriculture, and climate change—and proposes a 'legal toolbox' of statutory mechanisms to protect these essential ecological infrastructures.
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Document type: Guide
circular-8-procedures-regarding-appeals-ito-the-land-use-planning-ordinance-1985-ordinance-15-of-1985-a960e66c552a5a82.pdf
Circular 8/2013 provides updated procedures for appeals under the Land Use Planning Ordinance, 1985 (LUPO) in the Western Cape, following a High Court judgment that declared section 44 of the LUPO unconstitutional. The circular outlines how the Minister will now handle appeals—through dismissal, setting aside, or substitution—and details the administrative requirements for municipalities processing these appeals.
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Document type: Briefing
COMBINED SUMMONS
This document is a compilation of legal summons, news articles, emails, and personal essays centered on a long-running conflict between the Amadiba community on South Africa's Wild Coast and the Australian mining company Mineral Commodities Limited (MRC). The materials detail allegations of human rights abuses, fraudulent attempts to secure mining rights for titanium deposits at Xolobeni, and the 2016 assassination of anti-mining activist Sikhosiphi 'Bazooka' Rhadebe.
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Document type: Report
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA
This executive summary, authored by clinical psychologist Garret Barnwell for the Centre for Environmental Rights, outlines the psychological and mental health risks associated with climate change in South Africa. It specifically highlights the risks posed to children, future generations, and coal-affected communities resulting from the decision to develop new coal capacity.
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Document type: Executive summary
coal-baseload-independent-procedures-status-of-the-power-purchase-agre-40938b71eda8959d.pdf
A letter from Eskom to the Centre for Environmental Rights stating that Eskom has not signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Coal Baseload Independent Power Producers (IPPs) due to disagreements over terms and conditions, and that it is awaiting a value-for-money assessment from the Department of Energy.
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Document type: Statement
coct-heads-f8ffde8673eda46e.pdf
This document contains the Applicant's Heads of Argument and Practice Note filed by the City of Cape Town in the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria). The City is seeking a declaratory order regarding the interpretation of section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act 4 of 2006 (ERA), arguing that a ministerial determination is not required for an independent power producer (IPP) to establish a new power plant and supply electricity to the City. The City contends that the current interpretation held by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and the Minister of Energy is either legally incorrect or unconstitutional as it infringes upon the autonomy of local government.
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Document type: Briefing
COMMENTS BY THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION NETWORK ON THE PROPOSED REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE PROMOTION OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION, 2020, PUBLISHED FOR COMMENT ON 23 APRIL 2021
The Access to Information Network (ATI Network), a coalition of South African civil society and media organisations, submitted comments on the proposed Regulations relating to the Promotion of Access to Information, 2020. The network argues that proposed reproduction fees for documents are exorbitantly high and create barriers to the constitutional right of access to information, particularly for those without electronic means. The submission proposes lower per-page fees, the elimination of costs for electronic transfers, and various administrative adjustments to the regulations and request forms.
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Document type: Statement
cover-letter-cer-submissions-on-ndm-aqmp-by-law-_27-5-15-f703c28e373a7d09.pdf
A cover letter from the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitting formal comments on the draft Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) and Air Quality Management By-law for the Nkangala District Municipality on behalf of the Highveld Environmental Justice Network, groundWork, and Earthlife Africa, Johannesburg.
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Document type: Statement
cover-letter_additional-documents_-annual-emission-reporting-05-august-2016-fk_signed-eb0a2d28fac261fd.pdf
A cover letter from the Majuba Power Station manager to the Air Quality Officer of the Gert Sibande District Municipality, submitting outstanding emission reporting documents to comply with Minimum Emission Standards.
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Document type: Statement
Health impacts of Eskomʼs non-compliance with minimum emissions standards
This report analyzes the public health and economic consequences of Eskom's failure to comply with South Africa's Minimum Emissions Standards (MES). It compares various compliance scenarios, concluding that Eskom's current retrofit plan provides minimal health benefits due to a failure to address sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions, and that full compliance or the adoption of Best Available Technology (BAT) would significantly reduce premature deaths and economic losses.
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Document type: Report
dd11-dd121-d8cbb8544f3abd0f.pdf
The document contains excerpts from the 2007 and 2012 National Frameworks for Air Quality Management in South Africa. It outlines the identification of pollutants of concern, the process for rating municipalities based on air quality status, and the establishment of national priority areas to address air pollution.
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Document type: Report
dd14-part-1-of-2-7e9fef78743f7a58.pdf
The 2012 National Framework for Air Quality Management in South Africa updates the 2007 framework to enhance the country's air quality regime. It establishes the South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS) for transparent data management, defines the National Air Quality Indicator (NAQI) to track progress toward 2020 compliance, and outlines the roles of national, provincial, and municipal governments in licensing and monitoring emissions. The framework also emphasizes the legal protections for workers and whistleblowers under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).
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Document type: Report
dd14-part-2-of-2-af7541ae8e73ffc9.pdf
This document is an excerpt from the 2012 National Framework for Air Quality Management in the Republic of South Africa, published in the Government Gazette on 29 November 2013. It details strategies for air quality governance, focusing on awareness-raising, standard setting, public participation, capacity development, and information dissemination to achieve clean air goals.
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Document type: Report
dd24-dd25-86f635fc7b235fc4.pdf
This document consists of an internal appeal filed by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) on behalf of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and the subsequent ruling by the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. The appeal challenged the Municipality's refusal to grant access to Atmospheric Emission Licences (AELs) and compliance reports for the SAPREF (Shell and BP) and Engen petroleum refineries, which the Municipality had withheld citing the protection of third-party commercial information under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). The Appeal Authority ultimately upheld the refusal, ruling that the information was commercially sensitive and that the public interest override was not sufficiently substantiated.
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Document type: Statement
dd26-part-1-of-2-7afc7a97619f5abb.pdf
This document is an Atmospheric Emission Licence (WCCT006) issued by the City of Cape Town to the Chevron Refinery in Cape Town. Issued on 31 March 2014 and valid until 31 March 2079, the licence authorizes various listed activities related to petroleum refining, including liquid and gas combustion, catalytic cracking, sulphur recovery, and the storage and handling of petroleum products. It details the refinery's operational processes, raw material capacities, and general conditions for compliance with the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004.
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Document type: Report
dd26-part-2-of-2-f57b72e309adcf55.pdf
This document is a technical annex of an air emissions license issued on 31 March 2014, detailing the emission limits, monitoring requirements, and operational conditions for a refinery operated by Chevron. It specifies pollutant thresholds for various combustion installations and storage facilities, mandates ambient air quality monitoring at specific stations, and establishes reporting protocols for non-compliance and emergency incidents.
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Document type: Report