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The Centre for Environmental Rights and Natural Justice, representing several community and environmental networks, submitted formal objections to the Scoping Report for the Motuoane Production Right application. The project proposes hydrocarbon exploration and extraction over approximately 14,400 hectares in the Free State Province, involving up to 43 production wells and associated infrastructure. The objectors argue that the Scoping Report is deficient in its assessments of air quality, climate change, hydrogeology, and social impacts, and that the public participation process was not meaningful.

The Free State Environmental Justice Network (FSEJN) has filed an appeal to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to set aside an environmental authorisation (EA) granted on 23 June 2025 to Afro Energy (Pty) Ltd. The EA allows for the exploration of conventional natural gas across approximately 240,000 hectares in the Free State and Mpumalanga provinces. FSEJN argues that the decision by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) was unlawful, irrational, and failed to adequately assess climate, air quality, geohydrological, and socio-economic impacts, while also neglecting meaningful public participation.

A fact sheet by the NewClimate Institute arguing that natural gas cannot sustainably meet Africa's energy demands and that the continent should instead transition to renewable energy to avoid stranded assets and economic risks.

This document is a formal appeal submitted by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) on behalf of four appellants—Earthlife Africa, groundWork, the Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network of South Africa, and Dzomo La Mupo—to the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) of the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET). The appeal seeks to set aside Environmental Authorisation (EA) No. 12/1/9/2-V79, granted on 23 February 2022 to the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (SOC) Ltd (MMSEZ). The EA allows for the site clearance of 3,863 hectares of indigenous vegetation and the development of bulk infrastructure in the Vhembe District of Limpopo. The appellants argue that the EA is unlawful due to procedural irregularities, a lack of authority by the decision-maker, failure to assess cumulative and climate impacts, and the disregard of cultural heritage and water scarcity issues.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, on behalf of the Life After Coal Campaign, submits a formal objection to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy's draft Gas Master Plan Basecase Report. The submission argues that the plan is 'reckless and unnecessary', contradicting South Africa's constitutional obligations to protect citizens from climate change and ignoring energy modelling that suggests gas-to-power is not required for energy security.

This briefing examines the political and economic drivers of coal-fired power investment in 18 high-impact countries (HICs) with significant electricity access gaps, noting that international public finance dominates coal investment while domestic private finance leads in renewables.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing groundWork and Earthlife Africa, submitted comments on July 23, 2021, regarding the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's (DFFE) draft Guideline for considering climate change implications in environmental authorisations and licenses. While welcoming the initiative, the CER argues that the draft is insufficient to address the climate crisis and fails to meet the legal requirements of the Constitution and the National Environment Management Act (NEMA). The submission advocates for a 1.5°C warming limit as the primary benchmark for emissions assessments rather than Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and calls for the inclusion of social costs of carbon and full lifecycle GHG emissions in project evaluations.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of Earthlife Africa Johannesburg and groundWork, submitted supplementary objections on 5 March 2018 against the Water Use Licence Application (IWULA) and Integrated Water and Waste Water Management Plan (IWWMP) for the proposed Thabametsi coal-fired power station. The objections argue that the project is unnecessary due to excess electricity capacity, poses severe risks to the water-stressed Mokolo Catchment, and fails to account for climate change impacts and toxic coal ash disposal risks.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, submitted comments to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) regarding the Final Scope of Work Report (FSR) for the Thabametsi coal-fired power station. The CER argues that the FSR is inadequate, particularly concerning the Climate Change Impact Assessment (CCIA), and requests that the DEA either reject the report or require significant amendments to align it with the South African Constitution and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).

The Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network of South Africa (MEJCON-SA) and Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) have appealed a decision by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to grant environmental authorisation (EA) to Tetra4 (Pty) Ltd for the Cluster 2 Virginia Gas Production Project. The appellants argue that the decision is unlawful and unreasonable due to flawed groundwater and climate change assessments, inadequate public participation, a failure to consider renewable energy alternatives, and the state's lack of capacity to monitor gas operations.