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This document contains the First Respondent's (the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) heads of argument in a judicial review application brought by Earthlife Africa. The Minister argues that the application is fatally flawed because it relies on new evidence not presented during the original administrative decision-making process and seeks to treat the court as an appeal tribunal rather than a review court. The Minister contends that the environmental authorisation (EA) granted to Lephalale Coal Mines (Pty) Ltd was rational, reasonable, and compliant with the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), specifically regarding need and desirability, climate change impacts, and public participation.