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Climate Change Bill Webinar and Toolkit Launch
This guide, published by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), provides a toolkit and instructions for the public to submit written comments on South Africa's Climate Change Bill. It outlines the law-making process, explains the role of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and identifies specific weaknesses in the Bill regarding transparency, timeframes, emission targets, and enforcement.
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Document type: Guide
Mining and your Community: Know your Environmental Rights
This guide, produced by the Centre for Environmental Rights and Lawyers for Human Rights, provides information for communities and individuals in South Africa on their environmental and legal rights when facing proposed mining activities. It details the mandatory government permissions, consultation processes, and legal avenues available to affected parties to protect their land, water, and health.
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Document type: Guide
PUBLIC HEARINGS OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE CLIMATE CHANGE DISCUSSION DOCUMENT, OUTLINING SOUTH AFRICA’S POSITION TOWARDS THE 21ST SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP21) TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC) IN PARIS, FRANCE, IN DECEMBER 2015.
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted a statement to the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs in September 2015 regarding South Africa's position for COP21. The CER argues that climate change mitigation is a Constitutional obligation under section 24, and that current state decisions to build new coal-fired power stations directly contradict these legal duties and national climate policies.
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Document type: Statement
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
KM_C554e-20161108172117
The Minister of Environmental Affairs of South Africa has decided to set aside an Environmental Authorisation (EA) previously granted for the construction of the 1050MW Colenso coal-fired power station and associated infrastructure in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The decision refers the matter back to the Department for reconsideration due to specific inaccuracies and deficiencies in the EA, including premature conditions and missing technical documentation.
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Document type: Statement
colenso-pty-ltd-cover-letter-77bed22b6c918528.pdf
This document is a cover letter dated 22 March 2016 from Gunn Attorneys, acting on behalf of Colenso Power (Pty) Ltd, submitting a responding statement to the Minister of Environmental Affairs. The response concerns an appeal filed on 1 March 2016 by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) on behalf of groundWork and the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance against the integrated environmental authorisation for the 1050MW Colenso coal-fired power station and associated infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal.
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Document type: Statement
APPEAL RESPONSE REPORT
This Appeal Response Report details the legal dispute regarding the authorization of the 1050MW Colenso Coal Fired Power Station. The document lists five grounds of appeal raised by Groundwork and the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, alleging failures to comply with the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), EIA Regulations, and Constitutional requirements, and provides the responding statements from the Department/DMR denying these failures.
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Document type: Report
KM_C654e-20210623174759
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment of South Africa has refused an application for Environmental Authorisation submitted by Karpowership SA (Pty) Ltd for a 540MW Gas to Power Powership Project at the Port of Ngqura. The refusal is based on significant failures in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, including inadequate public consultation, missing critical specialist studies on underwater noise, and gaps in the provided environmental assessments.
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Document type: Statement
KM_C654e-20210623174848
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) of South Africa has refused an application for Environmental Authorisation submitted by Karpowership SA (Pty) Ltd for a 540MW Gas to Power Powership Project at the Port of Richards Bay. The refusal is based on significant failures in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, including inadequate public participation, contradictory specialist reports, and critical gaps in assessing impacts on marine and avian biodiversity.
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Document type: Statement
KM_C654e-20210623174823
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) of South Africa has refused an application for Environmental Authorisation submitted by Karpowership SA (Pty) Ltd for a 415MW Gas to Power Powership Project at the Port of Saldanha. The refusal is based on significant failures in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, including inadequate public consultation, gaps in specialist studies, and non-compliance with legislative requirements.
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Document type: Statement
CRITICAL MINERALS AND METALS STRATEGY SOUTH AFRICA
The Critical Minerals and Metals Strategy for South Africa is a national roadmap designed to transition the country from a raw material supplier to a global hub for processed critical minerals and high-value end products. The strategy focuses on leveraging South Africa's vast reserves of platinum group metals, manganese, and vanadium to support the global energy transition, specifically in sectors like electric vehicles, green hydrogen, and renewable energy. It outlines six strategic pillars—geoscience mapping, value addition, R&D, infrastructure, financial instruments, and regulatory harmonisation—to drive industrialisation, job creation, and economic resilience while navigating complex geopolitical tensions and promoting regional integration within Africa.
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Document type: Report
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT AT MINES: THE DEPARTMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY’S PERFORMANCE DURING THE FINANCIAL YEARS 2017 TO 31 MARCH 2019
This report by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) evaluates the environmental compliance monitoring and enforcement (CME) performance of the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) between the 2017/18 and 2018/19 financial years. Based on information obtained via the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), the CER concludes that the DMRE's capacity to monitor and enforce environmental laws at mines remains "woefully inadequate," citing a severe shortage of qualified inspectors and a general decline in inspection activity across most provinces.
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Document type: Report
MANUAL ISSUED IN TERMS OF SECTION 14 OF THE PROMOTION OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT, 2000 (ACT NO 2 OF 2000)
This document is a PAIA Manual issued by the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). It provides a comprehensive guide for the public on how to exercise their constitutional right of access to information held by the Department, in accordance with the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (PAIA) and the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
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Document type: Guide
doc-1.1-g-brd-ses-eskom-env-perf-comp-and-risks-29-may-17-69117be3be1f45a5.pdf
This briefing document, submitted to Eskom's Board Social, Ethics and Sustainability Committee on 29 May 2017, provides an update on the organization's environmental performance, compliance status, and risk management for the 2016/17 financial year. It details emissions and water usage metrics, legal contraventions, the progress of air quality improvement and offset projects, and the implementation of biodiversity and bird mitigation strategies.
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Document type: Briefing
MANUAL ISSUED IN TERMS OF SECTION 14 OF THE PROMOTION OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT, 2000 (ACT NO 2 OF 2000)
This document is a PAIA Manual issued by the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). It serves as a guide for the public to exercise their constitutional right of access to information held by the Department, detailing the types of records available, the process for requesting them, and the protections afforded to personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
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Document type: Guide
KMBT_754-20201120142850
The Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) submitted this supporting affidavit to the High Court of South Africa to be admitted as an amicus curiae in a case involving a water use licence for a proposed coal mine. The EELC argues that the second respondent's attempt to seek punitive costs against public interest lawyers creates a "chilling effect" that discourages the representation of marginalised actors and threatens access to justice.
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Document type: Statement
GROUNDWORK’S RESPONDING STATEMENT TO KARPOWERSHIP SA (PTY) LTD’S APPEAL AGAINST THE ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION REFUSAL DECISION (EA NO. 14/12/16/3/3/2/2007): RICHARDS BAY
This responding statement, submitted by groundWork to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), argues for the dismissal of Karpowership SA (PTY) Ltd’s appeal against the refusal of an Environmental Authorisation (EA) for a gas-to-power project in Richards Bay. groundWork contends that the project is neither necessary nor desirable, citing significant environmental risks, inadequate public participation, and the existence of more cost-effective, renewable energy alternatives.
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Document type: Statement
ilovepdf_merged-48_rotated-feb7992c94841dd6.pdf
This document is an appeal filed on 17 January 2022 by Anchor Energy LNG Pty Ltd and Nseleni Power Corporation Pty Ltd against the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's (DFFE) decision to refuse environmental authorisations for the Nseleni Independent Floating Power Plant (NIFPP) and an associated LNG receiving and storage facility at the Port of Richards Bay.
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Document type: Report
joint-cer-lac-submissions-on-nemlab_18-july-2012-7c50b551ffe4190f.pdf
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) and the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) provided joint submissions on 18 July 2012 regarding the National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Bill, 2012. The document offers a detailed critique of proposed amendments to the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), the Biodiversity Act, and the Air Quality Act, focusing on environmental governance, criminal liability, and the rights of traditional communities.
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Document type: Statement
00206BF55FFC220803103732
This document is an appeal decision by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment of South Africa regarding the refusal of an Environmental Authorisation (EA) for Karpowership SA (Pty) Ltd's proposed Gas-to-Power via Powership Project at the Port of Richards Bay. The Minister remits the matter back to the Competent Authority (CA) to address material gaps in information and procedural defects in the public participation process.
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Document type: Report