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The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment of South Africa dismissed eight appeals against the decision to grant an Environmental Authorisation (EA) to the Department of Water and Sanitation for Phase 2 of the Mokolo and Crocodile River (West) Water Augmentation Project (MCWAP-2A Project). The decision confirms the project's need to provide water infrastructure for power stations and urban use in the Waterberg region.

This case study details a Constitutional Court ruling in Bengwenyama Minerals (Pty) Ltd v Genorah Resources (Pty) Ltd, which clarified legal requirements for prospecting rights under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002 (MPRDA). The court upheld an appeal by the Bengwenyama Community, finding that Genorah Resources failed to properly consult the community and that the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) failed to follow administrative fairness and environmental prerequisites.

The Community Casebook on Mining and Environment is a guide published by the Centre for Environmental Rights to empower South African communities facing mining or prospecting applications. It explains the legal framework of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), the duties of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), and provides four case studies where communities used legal mechanisms—including judicial reviews and appeals—to challenge mining rights or demand financial transparency from traditional authorities.

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.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (ELA), wrote to the Department of Energy on 18 October 2016 to question the appointment of Thabametsi Power Company (Pty) Limited as a preferred bidder for a coal-fired power station. The CER highlights a pending High Court review application regarding the project's environmental authorisation, specifically the failure to conduct a climate change impact assessment, and requests clarity on whether Thabametsi disclosed this legal challenge to the Department as required by the procurement criteria.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) of South Africa granted environmental authorisation to Limpopo Coal Company (Pty) Ltd (LCC), a subsidiary of Coal of Africa Limited, for the Vele Colliery project. This authorisation, issued under section 24G of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), rectifies the unlawful commencement of several listed activities, including road construction, vegetation clearance, and the building of a slurry dam. The project is a phased coal mine with an estimated 29-year lifespan, consisting of open cast and underground operations.

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.

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.

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).

Phillipine Lekalakala, a director of Earthlife Africa, provided a supporting affidavit in a legal case against the Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone (SOC) Ltd and other respondents, confirming the accuracy of the founding affidavit submitted by Mphatheleni Makaulele.

The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries confirms that the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) is the competent authority for the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone infrastructure application. The Minister notes that concerns regarding climate change, air pollution, and water availability are included in the EIA Plan of Study. The Ministry rejects the need for a Strategic Environmental Assessment and maintains that the public participation process met legal requirements.

Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (ELA) submitted formal objections to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) regarding a license application by Thabametsi Power Company (Pty) Limited to operate a 630MW coal-fired power plant near Lephalale, Limpopo. ELA argues that the project is financially risky, environmentally damaging, and inconsistent with South Africa's international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.

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).

This report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) evaluates the air quality, health, and economic impacts of the proposed Lephalale Coal Mine (LCM) and its associated independent power plant (IPP) in South Africa. The analysis identifies significant underestimates in a previous environmental impact assessment (EIA) and projects substantial premature deaths, morbidity, and economic losses over the project's 35-year lifecycle, particularly if coal is burnt at existing power plants lacking emission controls.

This statement, submitted by Earthlife Africa, argues that the environmental authorisation for the Thabametsi coal-fired power station was granted unlawfully because it lacked a necessary climate change impact assessment. The document outlines the specific requirements for such an assessment and presents four legal grounds for reviewing and setting aside the decisions made by the Chief Director and the Minister, citing breaches of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and the 2010 EIA Regulations.