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The Water Tribunal of South Africa dismissed an appeal by Thungela Operations (Pty) Ltd against the Department of Water and Sanitation's decision to refuse a Water Use Licence (WUL) for the Palmietkuilen Mining Operation. The Tribunal found that the applicant failed to provide sufficient geohydrological and geochemical data to ensure effective long-term mitigation of water pollution, particularly regarding post-closure acid mine drainage (AMD) and the permanent loss of wetlands.

A letter dated 25 January 2011 from a coalition of civil society organisations and individuals to the co-chairs of the Inter Ministerial Committee on Acid Mine Drainage (IMC), demanding transparency and urgent action to stop the release of untreated acid mine drainage (AMD) into South African water systems.

This case study describes a legal challenge by the Mpumalanga Lakes District Protection Group (MLDPG) and landowners against a coal prospecting right granted to Khulile Mines on Farm Witkranz 53 IT in Mpumalanga. The appeal centers on inadequate stakeholder consultation, the ignoring of biodiversity designations by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), and the submission of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) containing materially false information regarding the area's topography and ecology.