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LAND DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION: ATHA AFRICA VENTURES (PTY) LTD
A letter from The Practice Group to the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality regarding a land development application by Atha Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd for Yzermyn 96 in Mpumalanga. The letter clarifies that a previous notice was erroneously communicated as a decision of the Municipal Planning Tribunal (MPT), leading to an unnecessary appeal which is now being withdrawn.
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Document type: Statement
PETITION TO BE GRANTED INTERVENER STATUS IN RE: APPEAL BY THE PRACTICE GROUP (PTY) LTD (ON BEHALF OF ATHA VENTURES AFRICA (PTY) LTD) AGAINST THE DECISION OF THE JOINT MUNICIPAL PLANNING TRIBUNAL SITTING IN THE APPLICATION FOR CHANGE IN LAND-USE (IN TERMS OF REGULATION 18 OF THE SPLUM REGULATIONS) IN RESPECT OF PORTION 1 OF YZERMYN 96 HT, IN THE DR PIXLEY KA ISAKA SEME LOCAL MUNICIPALITY AND THE GERT SIBANDE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY, MPUMALANGA
A petition submitted by eight civil society organisations, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), seeking intervener status in an appeal by the Practice Group (Pty) Ltd on behalf of Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd. The appeal concerns a land-use change application for Portion 1 of Yzermyn 96 HT in the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, to transition the land from agriculture to mining.
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Document type: Statement
YZERMYN 96 REGISTRATION DIVISION HT: PORTION 1, MPUMALANGA PROVINCE APPLICATION FOR A CHANGE IN LAND USE NOTICE OF APPEAL
A notice of appeal filed on 8 January 2019 by a mining company against a decision by the Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality's Joint Municipal Planning Tribunal. The Tribunal had dismissed the company's land use application on the grounds of lack of locus standi. The appellant argues that the decision ignored national law (SPLUMA) and violated procedural fairness under PAJA.
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Document type: Statement
Mpumalanga Spatial Development Framework
The Mpumalanga Spatial Development Framework (PSDF) is a strategic report designed to guide the province's spatial transformation, aiming to reverse apartheid-era spatial imbalances and promote sustainable, inclusive economic growth. It proposes a polycentric growth management model based on a hierarchy of growth centres and corridors to integrate urban and rural areas.
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Document type: Report
OBJECTION BY COALITION OF EIGHT CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS AGAINST EXCLUSION OF PROPERTIES FROM THE EXISTING MABOLA PROTECTED ENVIRONMENT
A formal objection submitted by a coalition of eight civil society organisations, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, against the Mpumalanga MEC's proposal to exclude specific properties from the Mabola Protected Environment (MPE) to facilitate coal mining.
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Document type: Statement
REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING AND ENFORCING THE HIGHVELD PRIORITY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN (2012)
This document consists of a series of letters and a report summary from the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) addressed to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). The CER, representing various environmental groups, argues that the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) has failed to improve air quality since its 2007 declaration. The CER demands the urgent implementation of regulations to enforce the 2012 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP), the elimination of 'rolling postponements' for emission standards granted to major polluters like Eskom and Sasol, and a formal response to the 'Broken Promises' report regarding the ongoing violation of constitutional rights to a healthy environment.
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Document type: Statement
SOUTH AFRICA’S LOW-EMISSION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2050
The South Africa’s Low-Emission Development Strategy (SA LEDS) 2050 is a strategic framework designed to transition South Africa to a low-carbon growth path by 2050. It aligns national policies with the Paris Agreement and the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), focusing on a 'peak, plateau and decline' emissions trajectory. The strategy outlines sectoral measures for energy, industry, agriculture, forestry, and waste, while emphasizing a 'Just Transition' to ensure socio-economic upliftment and job security during the shift away from fossil fuels.
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Document type: Report
THE LIFE AFTER COAL CAMPAIGN - CONCERNS AND RISKS RELATING TO THE PROPOSED INDEPENDENT POWER PRODUCER (IPP) COAL-FIRED POWER STATION PROJECTS UNDER BID WINDOW 1 OF THE COAL BASELOAD IPP PROCUREMENT PROGRAMME
A statement from the Life After Coal Campaign to the South African Minister of Finance outlining financial, legal, and environmental risks associated with two proposed coal-fired power stations under the Coal Baseload Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (CBIPPP).
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Document type: Statement
Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network of South Africa and others v Minister of Environmental Affairs and others
The Pretoria High Court set aside a decision by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and the Minister of Mineral Resources to allow Atha-Africa Ventures 16 (Pty) Ltd to mine in the Mabola Protected Environment, citing procedural unfairness, lack of transparency, and failure to apply environmental management principles.
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Document type: Case study
APPLICANTS’ NOTES FOR ORAL ARGUMENT
This briefing contains the applicants' notes for oral argument in a High Court case challenging the decisions of the Ministers of Environmental Affairs and Mineral Resources to permit mining in the Mabola Protected Environment (MPE). The applicants, a group of environmental and human rights NGOs, argue that the decisions were made without transparency, procedural fairness, or regard for the specific statutory duties imposed by the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (NEMPAA).
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Document type: Briefing
Spatial Challenges and Opportunities Report
The Spatial Challenges and Opportunities Report (2018) provides a comprehensive biophysical, socio-economic, and built environment analysis of Mpumalanga Province to inform its Provincial Spatial Development Framework (PSDF). The report identifies a resource-based economy heavily dependent on coal mining and electricity generation, while highlighting significant spatial fragmentation, infrastructure backlogs, and environmental threats to biodiversity and water sources.
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Document type: Report
Young Leaders
The report 'Young Leaders' by WWF South Africa documents the first decade of its Environmental Leaders internship programme (2008–2018), which aims to bridge the gap between university graduation and professional employment in the green economy. The programme focuses on developing scarce green skills through work-based learning, dedicated mentoring, and professional networking to combat high graduate unemployment in South Africa.
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Document type: Report
WHO’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October - 1 November 2018
A letter from the Life After Coal Campaign to the South African Minister of Health inquiring about the Minister's participation in the WHO's First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health and highlighting the severe health and economic costs of air pollution in South Africa.
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Document type: Statement
GRIEVANCES ABOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) issued this formal response on 16 August 2018 to a memorandum of grievances from The Voice Community Representative Council regarding legal challenges against a proposed coal mine by Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd. CER clarifies its role as a non-profit law clinic representing eight civil society organisations, denies representing local farmers or specific agencies, and outlines the environmental and socio-economic risks associated with the proposed mine in a protected area.
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Document type: Statement
RESPONSE TO LETTER OF 16 JULY 2018 AND INPUT REGARDING THE JUST ENERGY TRANSITION TO A LOW-CARBON FUTURE FOR THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA
The Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle (LAC) Campaign, comprising the Centre for Environmental Rights, groundWork, and Earthlife Africa, submitted a response to Minister Jeff Radebe on 8 August 2018. The letter argues against the construction of new coal-fired power plants, specifically the Thabametsi and Khanyisa projects, asserting that they are not the least-cost option and would undermine South Africa's climate commitments and public health.
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Document type: Statement
Climate-Smart Agriculture to Secure Jobs, Water, Food
This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues for the mainstreaming of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) in South Africa to address risks to food security, water supply, and rural employment. The document proposes a transition toward agro-ecology and conservation agriculture (CA) to restore degraded land and protect strategic water source areas, suggesting that these labour-intensive practices can create new jobs in a 'Catchment Economy' and within the biofuel sector.
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Document type: Policy brief
OBJECTION TO APPLICATION IN TERMS OF REGULATION 18(1)(b) OF THE SPATIAL PLANNING AND LAND USE MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS: LAND USE MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL MATTERS, 2015 READ WITH SECTION 98 OF THE SPATIAL PLANNING AND LAND USE MANAGEMENT BY-LAW FOR PIXLEY KA ISAKA SEME LOCAL MUNICIPALITY, 2016
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted a response on 16 July 2018 to the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality, reiterating objections to a land-use change application for a proposed mine. The CER argues that the subject property is a high-priority conservation area and that the Municipality has the legal authority and obligation under the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) to consider environmental and water impacts, despite claims to the contrary by the applicant's agent.
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Document type: Statement
Water Impacts and Externalities of Coal Power
This report by the Centre for Environmental Rights examines the negative environmental and social externalities of coal-fired power generation in South Africa, with a primary focus on water use, pollution, and the associated economic costs. It argues that current energy planning, specifically the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), fails to internalise these costs, leading to a misrepresentation of the total cost of coal compared to renewable energy alternatives.
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Document type: Report
Identification, Delineation and Importance of the Strategic Water Source Areas of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland for Surface Water and Groundwater
This report identifies and delineates Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs) for surface water and groundwater across South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. It defines SWSAs as areas providing disproportionate runoff or high groundwater recharge that are nationally important for water security. The study identifies 22 national surface water SWSAs (SWSA-sw) and 37 national groundwater SWSAs (SWSA-gw), analyzing their contribution to urban centers, agriculture, and industry, while assessing threats from land-cover change, mining, and invasive alien plants.
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Document type: Report
PROVISIONAL SUBMISSIONS REGARDING THE REVIEW OF THE 2012 NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing several environmental justice organisations, submitted provisional comments on June 29, 2018, regarding the Department of Environmental Affairs' (DEA) proposed amendments to the 2012 National Framework for Air Quality Management in South Africa. The CER argues that the public consultation process was inadequate and that the draft Framework fails to address systemic failures in air quality monitoring, enforcement, and the achievement of previous targets.
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Document type: Statement